Archaeocyatha

Archaeocyathus atlanticus, from CNRS.

Belongs within: Animalia.

The Archaeocyatha are sessile organisms known from the Cambrian that possessed a more or less cup-shaped body form. Most recent authors have regarded the archaeocyaths as sponges, though earlier researchers have aligned them with corals or even excluded them from the animals.

Characters (from Taylor 2010): Two concentric walls (an inner and an outer) enclosing a central cavity. Intervallum generally crossed by vertical septa. Whole structure usually highly perforate.

<==Archaeocyatha [Archaeocyathinae]
    |--Okulitchicyathus [Irregulares] EL11
    |--Cribricyathea EL11
    |    |--Leibaella EL11
    |    `--Cloudina Germs 1972 [Vologdinophyllidae] G79
    |         `--*C. hartmanae Germs 1972 [=*C. hartmannae] G79
    |--Coscinocyathus [Coscinocyathidae, Regulares] T10
    |    |  i. s.: C. capriciosus T10
    |    |         C. elongatus T10
    |    |         C. etheridgei Tate 1892 T10
    |    |         C. tatei T10
    |    |--+--C. irregularis T10
    |    |  `--+--C. cornucopia T10
    |    |     `--+--C. campanula T10
    |    |        `--+--C. anthemis T10
    |    |           `--+--C. cancellatus T10
    |    |              |--C. dianthus T10
    |    |              |--Archaeosycon Taylor 1910 T10
    |    |              |    `--*A. billingsi [=Archaeocyathus billingsi, Coscinocyathus billingsi] T10
    |    |              `--+--C. verticillus T10
    |    |                 `--Anthomorpha margarita T10
    |    `--+--C. australis Taylor 1910 T10
    |       |--C. equivallum Taylor 1910 T10
    |       |--+--C. aulax Taylor 1910 T10
    |       |  `--C. didymoteichus Taylor 1910 T10
    |       `--+--C. tuba T10
    |          `--+--C. cylindricus T10
    |             |--C. vesica T10
    |             `--+--C. tener T10
    |                `--+--C. pandora T10
    |                   `--+--C. calathus T10
    |                      `--+--C. corbicula T10
    |                         `--+--C. proteus T10
    |                            `--+--C. elvira Walcott 1906 T10
    |                               `--Coscinoptycha Taylor 1910 T10
    |                                    |--C. bilateralis Taylor 1910 T10
    |                                    `--C. convoluta Taylor 1910 T10
    `--Archaeocyathus [=Spirocyathus Hinde 1889; Archaeocyathidae, Spirocyathidae] T10
         |--A. acutus T10
         |--A. aduncus T10
         |--A. ajax Taylor 1910 T10
         |--A. rarus [=Ethmophyllum rarum] T10
         |--A. rensselaericus [=Ethmophyllum rensselaericum] T10
         |--A. stapipora Taylor 1910 T10
         |--+--A. equivallum Taylor 1910 T10
         |  |--A. ichnusae T10
         |  |--A. infundibulum T10
         |  `--+--A. concentricus T10
         |     |--+--A. bilobus T10
         |     |  `--A. sinuosus T10
         |     `--+--A. planus T10
         |        `--A. umbrella T10
         |--+--A. retezona Taylor 1910 T10
         |  `--+--A. grandipora Taylor 1910 T10
         |     |--A. retesepta Taylor 1910 T10
         |     `--Dictyocyathidae T10
         |          |--Dokidocyathus Taylor 1910 T10
         |          |    `--*D. simplicissimus Taylor 1910 T10
         |          `--Dictyocyathus T10
         |               |--D. irregularis Taylor 1910 T10
         |               |--D. laxus [=Protopharetra laxa] T10
         |               |--D. paucisepta T10
         |               |--D. simplex Taylor 1910 T10
         |               `--D. tenerrimus T10
         |--+--A. sellicksi Taylor 1910 T10
         |  `--+--Somphocyathus Taylor 1910 T10
         |     |    `--*S. coralloides Taylor 1910 T10
         |     `--+--A. disseptimentalis Taylor 1910 T10
         |        |--A. profundus [=Ethmophyllum profundum] T10
         |        `--+--+--*A. atlanticus [=*Spirocyathus atlanticus] T10
         |           |  |--‘Spirocyathus’ irregularis Taylor 1910 T10
         |           |  `--‘Spirocyathus’ radiatus Taylor 1910 T10
         |           `--+--Metaldetes Taylor 1910 T10
         |              |    `--*M. cylindricus Taylor 1910 T10
         |              `--Protopharetra T10
         |                   |--P. rete Taylor 1910 T10
         |                   `--+--P. scoulari T10
         |                      |--+--P. densa T10
         |                      |  `--P. polymorpha T10
         |                      |--+--P. dubiosa Taylor 1910 T10
         |                      |  `--Haguia T10
         |                      `--+--P. radiata T10
         |                         `--P. vesiculosa T10
         `--+--A. spatiosus T10
            `--+--+--A. patulus Bornemann 1891 T10
               |  `--A. tubavallum Taylor 1910 T10
               `--+--A. ijizkii T10
                  `--+--+--A. elongatus Bornemann 1891 T10
                     |  |--A. trachealis Taylor 1910 T10
                     |  `--Ethmophyllum Meek 1868 T10
                     |       |--*E. whitneyi T10
                     |       |--E. dentatum Taylor 1910 T10
                     |       |--E. hindei T10
                     |       `--E. marianum (Roemer 1880) [=Archaeocyathus marianus] T10
                     `--+--A. proskurjakowi T10
                        |--A. sibiricus T10
                        `--+--A. wirrialpensis Taylor 1910 T10
                           `--+--Archaeofungia Taylor 1910 T10
                              |    `--*A. ajax Taylor 1910 T10
                              `--Pycnoidocyathus Taylor 1910 T10
                                   |--P. simplex Taylor 1910 T10
                                   |--P. synapticulosus Taylor 1910 T10
                                   `--+--P. ptychophragma Taylor 1910 T10
                                      `--+--Rhabdocyathus von Toll 1899 T10
                                         `--Syringocnema Taylor 1910 [Syringocnemidae] T10
                                              `--*S. favus Taylor 1910 T10

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[EL11] Erwin, D. H., M. Laflamme, S. M. Tweedt, E. A. Sperling, D. Pisani & K. J. Peterson. 2011. The Cambrian conundrum: early divergence and later ecological success in the early history of animals. Science 334: 1091-1097.

[G79] Glaessner, M. F. 1979. Precambrian. In: Robison, R. A., & C. Teichert (eds) Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology pt A. Introduction. Fossilisation (Taphonomy), Biogeography and Biostratigraphy pp. A79-A118. The Geological Society of America, Inc.: Boulder (Colorado), and The University of Kansas: Lawrence (Kansas).

[T10] Taylor, T. G. 1910. The Archaeocyathinae from the Cambrian of South Australia with an account of the morphology and affinities of the whole class. Memoirs of the Royal Society of South Australia 2 (2): 55-188.