Asaphida
Classification
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Trilobita
Order: Asaphida (Fortey and Chatterton, 1988)
Cincinnatian Families: Asaphidae, Trinucleidae
Geologic Range
Middle Cambrian – Early Silurian
Common Paleoecology
Asaphida is an extinct order of fast-moving, low-level epifaunal deposit feeder.
Characteristics of the Order
- A large, morphologically diverse order that contains six superfamilies.
- Cephalon and pygidium tend to me similar in size and smooth.
- Most species of Asphida exude a prominent medial ventral suture.
- Thorax segments normally numbering 5-12 segments, but may be as few as 2 and as many as 30.
Published Descriptions
Fortey and Chatterton (1988)
Asaphidae
Trinucleidae
