Billingsariidae

Classification
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Subclass: Tabulata
Family: Billingsariidae (Sokolov, 1950)
Cincinnatian Genera: Foerstephyllum

Geologic Range
?Middle Ordovician, Late Ordovician – Early Silurian

Common Paleoecology
Billingsariidae is an extinct family of stationary epifaunal suspension feeders which have been interpreted to have hosted symbiotic algae in their tissues

Description of the Family

  • Corallum cerioid
  • Corallites slender
  • Septa short, stout, alternating in size
  • Tabulae horizontal
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Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part F, 2 of 2 (1981):

  • Corallum cerioid partly asteroid; corallites slender; septa short, stout, in some alternating in size, each a series of near vertical large monacanths; communication between neighboring tabularia rare to absent; tabulae horizontal; axial trabeculae may occur, forming discontinuous axial structure.

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Foerstephyllum