Rugosa
- The Rugosa Rose is also sometimes just called "Rugosa"
| Rugosa Fossil range: 488–251.4 Ma Ordovician–Permian |
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 Solitary rugose coral (Grewingkia) in three views; Ordovician, Indiana. Scale bar is 2.0 cm.
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Columnariina† |
The Rugosa, also called the Tetracoralla, are an extinct order of coral that were abundant in Middle Ordovician to Late Permian seas.
Solitary rugosans (e.g., Caninia, Lophophyllidium, Neozaphrentis, Streptelasma) are often referred to as horn corals because of a unique horn-shaped chamber with a wrinkled, or rugose, wall. Some solitary rugosans reached nearly a meter in length. However, some species of rugose corals could form large colonies (e.g., Lithostrotion). When radiating septa were present, they were usually in multiples of four.
Rugose corals have a skeleton made of calcite that is often fossilized. Like modern corals (Scleractinia), rugose corals were invariably benthic, living on the sea floor or in a reef-framework. Although there is no direct proof, it is inferred that these Palaeozoic corals possessed stinging cells to capture prey. They also had tentacles to help them catch prey. Technically they were carnivores, but prey-size was so small they are often referred to as microcarnivores.
External links
- Color reconstruction of the Devonian coral Heliophyllum halli at www.emilydamstra.com
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