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Radiozoa
| Description | The Radiolaria, also called Radiozoa, are protozoa of diameter 0.1–0.2 mm that produce intricate mineral skeletons, typically with a central capsule dividing the cell into the inner and outer portions of endoplasm and ectoplasm. The elaborate mineral skeleton is usually made of silica. They are found as zooplankton throughout the ocean, and their skeletal remains make up a large part of the cover of the ocean floor as siliceous ooze. Due to their rapid change as species, they represent an important diagnostic fossil found from the Cambrian onwards. Some common radiolarian fossils include Actinomma, Heliosphaera and Hexadoridium. From Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiozoa, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source Data |
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| Rank | phylum (GBIF) class (PBDB) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxonomy (GBIF) | Life : Chromista : Radiozoa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxonomy (PBDB) | Life : Retaria : Radiozoa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxonomic Status (GBIF) | accepted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification (PBDB,GBIF) |
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| Common Name | radiolarian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scientific Name | Radiozoa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opinions (PBDB) |
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| Status (PBDB) | extant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taxon Size (PBDB) | 3,984 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Extant Size (PBDB) | 577 (14%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Recorded Appearance | 513 - 507 Ma Cambrian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Environment | marine (based on Radiolaria) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Motility | passively mobile (based on Radiolaria) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diet | omnivore (based on Radiolaria) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taphonomy | silica (based on Radiolaria) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Primary Reference (PBDB) | J. J. Sepkoski, Jr. 2002. A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiozoa |
External Images
Fossil Distribution
Subtaxa
| Name | Status | Common Name(s) | Fossil Occurrences | Oldest | Youngest |
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| Polycystina class | accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB) | 48,883 | 513 Ma Cambrian | 0 Ma Extant | |
| Pheodaria suborder | listed (PBDB) | ||||
| Rotasphaeracea ✝ superfamily | listed (PBDB) | ||||
| Cadiidae family | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Amphicraspedum genus | listed (PBDB) | 8 | 59.2 Ma Paleocene | 47.8 Ma Eocene | |
| Copiconica ✝ genus | listed (PBDB) | 17 | 254 Ma Permian | 254 Ma Permian | |
| Gyrosphaera ✝ genus | listed (PBDB) | 2 | 443 Ma Silurian | 443 Ma Silurian | |
| Labyrinthosphaera ✝ genus | listed (PBDB) | 1 | 443 Ma Silurian | 443 Ma Silurian | |
| Pentinastrum genus | listed (PBDB) | 3 | 86.3 Ma Late/Upper Cretaceous | 86.3 Ma Late/Upper Cretaceous | |
| Spongosphaera ✝ genus | listed (PBDB) | ||||
| Sticholonche genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Stylotrochus genus | listed (PBDB) | 4 | 86.3 Ma Late/Upper Cretaceous | 85.8 Ma Late/Upper Cretaceous | |
| Triactiscus genus | listed (PBDB) | 3 | 86.3 Ma Late/Upper Cretaceous | 85.8 Ma Late/Upper Cretaceous | |
| Tuscaridium genus | accepted (GBIF) | No associated record in PBDB | |||
| Veles genus | listed (PBDB) | 2 | 237 Ma Middle Triassic | 237 Ma Middle Triassic | |
Synonymy List
| Year | Name and Author |
|---|---|
| 1858 | Radiolaria Müller |
| 2001 | Radiolaria Buckman and Aitchison p. 363 |
| 2002 | Radiolaria Sepkoski, Jr. |
| 2003 | Radiolaria Wang et al. p. 130 |
| 2005 | Radiolaria Adl et al. p. 401 figs. Table 1 |
| 2008 | Radiolaria Maletz and Bruton p. 1186 |
| 2011 | Radiolaria Ishitani et al. p. 38 |
References
Data courtesy of: PBDB: The Paleobiology Database, Creative Commons CC-BY licenced. , GBIF: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, various licences, iDigBio, various licences, and EOL: The Encyclopedia of Life (Open Data Public Domain). Because fossils are made of minerals too!
