Taxonomy of commonly fossilised invertebrates
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The taxonomy of commonly fossilized invertebrates combines both traditional and modern paleozoological terminology. This article overviews various invertebrate taxa in the fossil record, ranging from protists to arthropods. The taxonomy discussed emphasizes invertebrates that are either frequently collected as fossils or are extinct. This includes groups that are significant in paleontological contexts, abundant in the fossil record, or have a high proportion of extinct species. Special notations are explained below:
- [ ! ]: Indicates clades that are important as fossils or abundant in the fossil record.
- [ – ]: Indicates clades that contain a large proportion of extinct species.
- [ † ]: Indicates completely extinct clades.
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The paleobiologic systematics that follow are not intended to be comprehensive, rather, they are designed to encompass invertebrates that (a) are popularly collected as fossils and (b) extinct. As a result, some groups of invertebrates are not listed.[1]
If an invertebrate animal is mentioned below using its common (vernacular) name, it is an extant (living) taxon, but if it is cited by its scientific genus, then it is typically an extinct invertebrate known only from the fossil record.[2]
Invertebrate clades that are important fossils (e.g. ostracods, frequently used as index fossils), and/or clades that are very abundant as fossils (e.g. crinoids, easily found in crinoidal limestone),[3] are highlighted with a bracketed exclamation mark [ ! ].