Craniata (brachiopod)

Craniata; Temporal range: Ordovician– Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Ordovician strophomenid brachiopod with encrusting craniid brachiopods (Philhedra, the round attached shells).
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Clade:	Lophophorata
Phylum:	Brachiopoda
Subphylum:	Craniiformea; Popov, Basset, Holmer & Laurie, 1993
Class:	Craniata; Williams, Carlson, Brunton, Holmer & Popov, 1996 (non Linnaeus 1758: preoccupied)
Orders and Families
	Craniida ; Craniidae ; †Craniopsida ; †Craniopsidae ; †Trimerellida ; †Trimerellidae ; †Adensuidae ; †Ussuniidae ;
Synonyms
	(Class) Craniforma;

Craniata is a class of brachiopods originating in the Cambrian period and still extant today.^[1] They have calcitic inarticulated shells that are subcircular in outline. This class of brachiopods has an unsupported lophophore and is always attached to a hard substrate in the fossil record. This hard substrate is usually another brachiopod. The plicae from the host brachiopod will then appear within the shell of the craniata.^[2]

Craniata is the only class within the subphylum Craniiformea. The class Craniata is divided into three orders, one of which is still extant (Craniida).

References

^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Craniiformea". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
^ Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part H: Brachiopoda, revised (PDF). 6. 2007. ISBN 978-0-8137-3136-0.

[1] "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Craniiformea". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2019-02-18.

[2] Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part H: Brachiopoda, revised (PDF). 6. 2007. ISBN 978-0-8137-3136-0.

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