Home      Discussion      Topics      Dictionary      Almanac
Signup       Login
Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology

Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology

Overview
The Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology (or TIP) published by the Geological Society of America
Geological Society of America
The is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by James Hall, James D. Dana, and Alexander Winchell, and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose Place, Boulder, Colorado, USA, since 1968. As of 2007, the society has...

 and the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas , the State of Kansas Flagship university , is a public research university with campuses located in Lawrence, Kansas City, and Overland Park, Kansas with the main campus being located atop Mount Oread in Lawrence...

 Press, is a definitive multi-authored work of some 50 volume
Volume
The volume of any solid, liquid, gas, plasma, theoretical object, or vacuum is how much three-dimensional space it occupies, often quantified numerically. One-dimensional figures and two-dimensional shapes are assigned zero volume in the three-dimensional space...

s, written by more than 300 paleontologists, and covering every phylum, class, order, family, and genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...

 of fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous rock formations and sedimentary layers is known as the fossil record...

 and extant (still living) invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a vertebral column. The group includes 95% of all animal species — all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum Vertebrata ....

 animals. The prehistoric invertebrates are described as to their taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification. The word finds its roots in the Greek , taxis and , nomos...

, morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology morphology is the form, structure and configuration of an organism.This includes aspects of the outward appearance as well as the form and structure of the internal parts like bones and organs...

, paleoecology
Paleoecology
Paleoecology uses data from fossils and subfossils to reconstruct the ecosystems of the past. It includes the study of fossil organisms and their bromalites and other trace fossils in terms of their life cycle, their living interactions, their natural environment, their manner of death and burial...

, stratigraphic
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....

 and paleogeographic range.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology'
Start a new discussion about 'Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum
 
Encyclopedia
The Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology (or TIP) published by the Geological Society of America
Geological Society of America
The is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by James Hall, James D. Dana, and Alexander Winchell, and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose Place, Boulder, Colorado, USA, since 1968. As of 2007, the society has...

 and the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas , the State of Kansas Flagship university , is a public research university with campuses located in Lawrence, Kansas City, and Overland Park, Kansas with the main campus being located atop Mount Oread in Lawrence...

 Press, is a definitive multi-authored work of some 50 volume
Volume
The volume of any solid, liquid, gas, plasma, theoretical object, or vacuum is how much three-dimensional space it occupies, often quantified numerically. One-dimensional figures and two-dimensional shapes are assigned zero volume in the three-dimensional space...

s, written by more than 300 paleontologists, and covering every phylum, class, order, family, and genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...

 of fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous rock formations and sedimentary layers is known as the fossil record...

 and extant (still living) invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a vertebral column. The group includes 95% of all animal species — all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum Vertebrata ....

 animals. The prehistoric invertebrates are described as to their taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification. The word finds its roots in the Greek , taxis and , nomos...

, morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology morphology is the form, structure and configuration of an organism.This includes aspects of the outward appearance as well as the form and structure of the internal parts like bones and organs...

, paleoecology
Paleoecology
Paleoecology uses data from fossils and subfossils to reconstruct the ecosystems of the past. It includes the study of fossil organisms and their bromalites and other trace fossils in terms of their life cycle, their living interactions, their natural environment, their manner of death and burial...

, stratigraphic
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....

 and paleogeographic range. However, genera with no fossil record whatsoever have just a very brief listing.

Publication of the decades-long Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology is a work-in-progress; and therefore it is not yet complete: For example, there is no volume yet published regarding the post-Paleozoic era caenogastropods
Caenogastropoda
The clade Caenogastropoda, first established by Cox in 1960, comprise a large diverse group of mostly marine gastropods. This group combines the older taxa Mesogastropoda and Neogastropoda...

 (a mollusca
Mollusca
MolluscsSpelled mollusk in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling "mollusc" see the reasons given by . are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 93,000 recognized extant species, making it the largest marine phylum with about 23% of...

n group including the whelk
Whelk
Whelk or welk refers to one of several unrelated groups of marine gastropods found in temperate waters which have historically been used by humans for food:...

 and periwinkle
Periwinkle
Periwinkle may refer to:In fauna:* Periwinkle, a common name for a number of gastropod molluscs in the family Littorinidae** Common periwinkle ** Blue periwinkle...

). Furthermore, every so often, previously-published volumes of the Treatise are revised.

Evolution of the project


Raymond C. Moore, the project's founder and first editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing language, images, sound, video, or film through processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications in various media...

, originally envisioned this Treatise in invertebrate paleontology
Invertebrate paleontology
Invertebrate paleontology is sometimes described as Invertebrate paleozoology and/or Invertebrate paleobiology....

 as comprising just three large volumes, and totaling only three thousand pages.

The project began with work on a few, mostly-slim volumes in which a single senior specialist in a distinct field of invertebrate paleozoology
Paleozoology
Paleozoology, also spelled as palaeozoology , is the branch of paleontology or paleobiology dealing with the recovery and identification of multicellular animal remains from geological contexts, and the use of these fossils in the reconstruction of prehistoric environments and ancient...

 would summarize one particular group. As a result, each publication became a comprehensive compilation of everything known at that time for each group. Examples of this stage of the project are Part G. Bryozoa
Bryozoa
The Bryozoa, also known as Ectoprocta, are a phylum of aquatic animals, typically about long, that sieve food particles out of the water using a retractable lophophore, a "crown" of tentacles lined with cilia. Most marine species live in tropical waters, but a few occur in oceanic trenches and...

, by Ray S. Bassler (the first volume, published in 1953), and Part P. Arthropoda Part 2, the Chelicerata
Chelicerata
The subphylum Chelicerata constitutes one of the major subdivisions of the phylum Arthropoda, and includes horseshoe crabs, scorpions, spiders and mites. They originated as marine animals, possibly in the Cambrian period, but the first confirmed chelicerate fossils, eurypterids, date from in the...

by Alexander Petrunkevitch
Alexander Petrunkevitch
Alexander Ivanovitch Petrunkevitch was an eminent arachnologist of his time. From 1910 to 1939 he described over 130 spider species.-Biography:...

 (1955/1956).

Around 1959 or 1960, as more and larger invertebrate groups were being addressed, the incompleteness of the then-current state of affairs became apparent. So several senior editors of the Treatise started major research programs to fill in the evident gaps. Consequently, the succeeding volumes, while still maintaining the original format, began to change from being a set of single-authored compilations into being major research projects in their own right. Newer volumes had a committee and a chief editor for each volume, with yet other authors and researchers assigned particular sections. Museum
Museum
A museum is a building or institution which houses a collection of artifacts.Museums collect and care for objects of scientific, artistic, or historical importance and make them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary...

 collections that had not been previously described were studied; and sometimes new major taxonomic families -- and even orders -- had to be described. More attention was given to transitional fossils and evolution
Evolution
In biology, evolution is change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. Though changes produced in any one generation are normally small, differences accumulate with each generation and can, over time, cause substantial changes in the population, a...

ary radiation -- eventually producing a much-more complete encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a comprehensive written compendium that holds information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge. Encyclopedias are divided into articles with one article on each subject covered...

 of invertebrate paleontology
Invertebrate paleontology
Invertebrate paleontology is sometimes described as Invertebrate paleozoology and/or Invertebrate paleobiology....

.

But even in the second set of volumes, the various taxa were still described and organized in a classical Linnaean
Linnaean taxonomy
Linnaean taxonomy is either# the particular classification of Linnaeus, as set forth in his Systema Naturae and subsequent works...

 sense. The more-recent volumes began to introduce phylogenetic and cladistic
Cladistics
Cladistics is a form of biological systematics which classifies living organisms on the basis of shared ancestry...

 ideas, along with new developments and discoveries in fields such as biogeography
Biogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of biodiversity over space and time. It aims to reveal where organisms live, and at what abundance....

, molecular phylogeny
Molecular phylogeny
Molecular phylogenetics, also known as molecular systematics, is the use of the structure of molecules to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree....

, paleobiology
Paleobiology
Paleobiology is a growing and comparatively new discipline which combines the methods and findings of the natural science biology with the methods and findings of the earth science paleontology...

, and organic chemistry
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a discipline within chemistry which involves the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of chemical compounds that contain carbon...

, so that the current edition of Brachiopoda (1997 to 2002) is classified according to a cladistic arrangement, with three subphyla and a large number of class
Class (biology)
In biological classification, class is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, order, family, genus, and species, with class fitting between phylum and order...

es replacing the original two classes of Articulata and Inarticulata.

All these discoveries led to revisions and additional volumes. Even those taxa already covered were expanded: Books such as those regarding the Cnidaria
Cnidaria
Cnidaria is a phylum containing over 10,000 species of animals found exclusively in aquatic, mostly marine, environments. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that they use mainly for capturing prey...

(vol. F), the Brachiopoda (vol. H) and the Trilobita (vol. O) each went from one modest publication to three large volumes. And yet another volume regarding the brachiopods (number five) was published in 2006.

Until 2007, the editor of the Treatise was Roger L. Kaesler at The Paleontological Institute at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas , the State of Kansas Flagship university , is a public research university with campuses located in Lawrence, Kansas City, and Overland Park, Kansas with the main campus being located atop Mount Oread in Lawrence...

 in Lawrence, Kansas.

Layout of the articles


From the beginning, the character of the Treatise volumes has followed and further developed the pattern of the classic Invertebrate Paleontology written by Moore, Lalicker and Fischer (1953).

Following their lead, the Treatise includes in a typical article (a) a description of the basic anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy...

 of the modern members of each invertebrate group, (b) distinctive features of the fossils, (c) a comprehensive illustrated glossary
Glossary
A glossary is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Traditionally, a glossary appears at the end of a book and includes terms within that book which are either newly introduced or at least uncommon.A bilingual glossary is a list of...

 of terms, (d) a short discussion of the evolutionary history of the group, (e) a stratigraphic range chart, done at the level of the major subdivision (lower, middle and upper) of each Geologic period.

This is followed by (f) a listing and technical description of every known genus, along with (g) geographic distribution (usually by continent only, but occasionally by country) and (h) stratigraphic range.

Next come (i) one or two representative species
Species
In biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....

 illustrated by line drawings (in the early volumes) or by black-and-white photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...

s (in subsequent volumes), each accompanied by an appropriate reference for that genus. Furthermore, each Treatise article includes (j) the date, authorship, and scientific history of the taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement. Defining what belongs or does not belong to such a...

.

Finally, there is (k) a comprehensive bibliography and list of references. Not only that, but the more recent volumes and revisions also include (l) new fossil and phylogenetic discoveries, (m) advances in numerical and cladistic methods, (n) analyis of the group's genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology the genome refers to all of its hereditary information encoded in DNA .The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA. The term was adapted in 1920 by Hans Winkler, Professor of Botany at the University of Hamburg, Germany...

, (o) its molecular phylogeny, and so on.

List of its volumes


The following is an annotated list of the volumes already published (1953 to 2007) or volumes currently being prepared:

Introduction (A) and sub-metazoan Prostista (B, C & D)

  • Part A. Introduction: Fossilization (Taphonomy
    Taphonomy
    TaphonomyFrom greek Taphos; literally meaning 'study of the grave' is the study of decaying organisms over time and how they become fossilized...

    ), Biogeography
    Biogeography
    Biogeography is the study of the distribution of biodiversity over space and time. It aims to reveal where organisms live, and at what abundance....

    , & Biostratigraphy
    Biostratigraphy
    Biostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy which focuses on correlating and assigning relative ages of rock strata by using the fossil assemblages contained within them. Usually the aim is correlation, demonstrating that a particular horizon in one geological section represents the same period...

    , xxiii + 569 pages, 169 figures, 1979. ISBN 08137 30015.

  • Part B. Protoctista / Protista, Volume 1: Charophyta
    Charophyta
    The Charophyta are a division of green algae, including the closest relatives of the embryophyte plants. In some groups, such as conjugating green algae, flagellate cells do not occur. The latter group does engage in sexual reproduction, and motility does not involve flagella, since they are...

    , Sub-volume 1, 2005. ISBN 08137 30023. ---- Parts B through D refer to mostly one-celled, nucleated forms of life, typically fossilized due to their siliceous test
    Test (biology)
    A test is a term used to refer to the shell of sea urchins, and also the shell of certain microorganisms, such as testate foraminifera and testate amoebae.-See also:*sea urchins, also known as Echinoidea*foraminifera*testate amoebae...

    s. "Protista" and Protoctista" are nearly synonymous.
    • (Part B. Protoctista / Protista, Volume 1: Chrysomonadida, Coccolithophorida, Charophyta
      Charophyta
      The Charophyta are a division of green algae, including the closest relatives of the embryophyte plants. In some groups, such as conjugating green algae, flagellate cells do not occur. The latter group does engage in sexual reproduction, and motility does not involve flagella, since they are...

      , Diatom
      Diatom
      Diatoms are a major group of eukaryotic algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons Diatoms (Greek: (dia) = "through" + (temnein) = "to cut", i.e., "cut in half") are a major...

      acea & Pyrrhophyta. Sub-volume 2 --- in preparation.)

  • Part C. Protista / Protoctista, Volume 2: Sarcodina, Chiefly "Thecamoebians" & Foraminiferida, Sub-volumes 1 and 2, xxxi + 900 p., 653 fig., 1964. ISBN 08137 30031.

  • Part D. Protista / Protoctista, Volume 3: Protozoa
    Protozoa
    Protozoa or Cornelius protozoans Protozoa or Cornelius protozoans Protozoa or Cornelius protozoans (from Greek πρῶτον proton "first" and ζῷα zoa "animals"; singular protozoon; (the word "protozoan" is originally an adjective, used as a noun) are microorganisms classified as unicellular eukaryotes....

    : Chiefly Radiolaria & Tintinnina, xii + 195 p., 92 fig., 1954. ISBN 08137 3004X.

Archaeocyatha and Porifera (E)

  • Part E. Archaeocyatha
    Archaeocyatha
    The Archaeocyatha or archaeocyathids were sessile, reef-building marine organisms of warm tropical and subtropical waters that lived during the early Cambrian period...

     & Porifera, xviii + 122 p., 89 fig., 1955. This original is out-of-print. ---- Part E refers to sponge-like animals, both calcareous
    Calcareous
    Calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.-In zoology:...

     and siliceous.
    • Part E, Revised. Archaeocyatha, Volume 1, xxx + 158 p., 107 fig., 1972. ISBN 08137 31054.
    • Part E, Revised. Porifera, Volume 2: Classes Demospongea, Lyssacinosa
      Lyssacinosa
      Lyssacinosa is an order of glass sponges belonging to the subclass Hexasterophora. These sponges can be recognized by the parenchymal spicules usually being unconnected, unlike in other sponges in the subclass where the spicules form a more or less tightly connected skeleton.-References:*...

       & Hexactinellida, xxvii + 349 p., 135 fig., 10 tables. 2003. ISBN 08137 31305.
    • Part E, Revised. Porifera, Volume 3: Classes Demospongea, Hexactinellida, Heteractinida & Calcarea, xxxi + 872 p., 506 fig., 1 table, 2004. ISBN 08137 31313.
      • (Part E, Revised. Porifera --- additional volumes in preparation)

Cnidaria or Coelenterata (F)

  • Part F. Coelenterata
    Coelenterata
    Coelenterata is an obsolete long term encompassing two animal phyla, the Ctenophora and the Cnidaria . The name comes from the Greek "koilos" , referring to the hollow body cavity common to these two phyla...

     / Cnidaria, xvii + 498 p., 358 fig., 1956. This original is out-of-print. --- Part F refers to the coral
    Coral
    Corals are marine organisms from the class Anthozoa and exist as small sea anemone-like polyps, typically in colonies of many identical individuals...

    s and other cnidarians. "Coelenterata" and "Cnidaria" are almost synonyms.
    • Part F. Coelenterata / Cnidaria, Supplement 1: Rugosa
      Rugosa
      The Rugosa, also called the Tetracoralla, are an extinct order of coral that were abundant in Middle Ordovician to Late Permian seas.Solitary rugosans are often referred to as horn corals because of a unique horn-shaped chamber with a wrinkled, or rugose, wall...

       & Tabulata corals, xl + 762 p., 462 fig., 1981. ISBN 08137 30295.
      • (Part F, Revised. Cnidaria
        Cnidaria
        Cnidaria is a phylum containing over 10,000 species of animals found exclusively in aquatic, mostly marine, environments. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that they use mainly for capturing prey...

         / Coelenterata: Scleractinia
        Scleractinia
        Scleractinia, also called Stony corals, are exclusively marine animals; they are very similar to sea anemones but generate a hard skeleton. They first appeared in the Middle Triassic and replaced tabulate and rugose corals that went extinct at the end of the Permian...

         corals --- volume in preparation)

Bryozoa (G)

  • Part G. Bryozoa
    Bryozoa
    The Bryozoa, also known as Ectoprocta, are a phylum of aquatic animals, typically about long, that sieve food particles out of the water using a retractable lophophore, a "crown" of tentacles lined with cilia. Most marine species live in tropical waters, but a few occur in oceanic trenches and...

    , xii + 253 p., 175 fig., 1953. This original is out-of-print. --- Part G refers to the marine moss animals.
    • Part G, Revised. Bryozoa, Volume 1: Introduction, Order Cystoporata & Order Cryptostomata, xxvi + 625 p., 295 fig., 1983. ISBN 08137 31070.
      • (Part G, Revised. Bryozoa --- additional volumes in preparation)

Brachiopoda (H)

  • Part H. Brachiopoda, xxxii + 927 p., 746 fig., 1965. This original is out-of-print. --- Part H refers to the mostly-extinct lampshells.
    • Part H, Revised. Brachiopoda, Volume 1: Introduction, xx + 539 p., 417 fig., 40 tables, 1997. ISBN 08137 31089.
    • Part H, Revised. Brachiopoda, Volumes 2 and 3: Sub-phyla Linguliformea
      Linguliformea
      Linguliformea is a subphylum of inarticulate brachiopods. These were the earliest of brachiopods, ranging from the Cambrian into the Holocene. They rapidly diversified during the Cambrian into the Ordovician, but most families went extinct by the end of the Devonian.The articulation in these...

      , Craniiformea, & Rhynchonelliformea (1st part: Classes Chileta, Obolellata, Kutorginata, Strophomenta & Rhynochonellata), xxx + 919 p., 616 fig., 17 tables, 2000. ISBN 08137 31089 (same as above). --- For two closely-related internal Wikipedia links, see Inarticulata
      Inarticulata
      Inarticulata was historically defined as one of the two classes of the phylum Brachiopoda and referred to those having no hinge. The other class was Articulata, meaning articulated – having a hinge between the dorsal and ventral valves...

       for the craniiform brachiopods, and Articulata
      Articulata
      Articulata has four meanings in zoology:* One of two main divisions of the brachiopods having two valves with an articulating hinge . It is now thought that articulating hinges developed independently in several lineages of brachiopoda, hence this character is not a good choice for defining groups...

       for the rhynchonellidform brachs.
    • Part H, Revised. Brachiopoda, Volume 4: Sub-phylum Rhynchonelliformea (2nd part: Orders Pentamerida, Rhynchonellida
      Rhynchonellida
      The taxonomic order Rhynchonellida is one of the two main groups of living articulate brachiopods, the other being the order Terebratulida. They are recognized by their strongly ribbed wedge-shaped or nut-like shells, and the very short hinge line....

      , Atrypida & Athrydida), xxxix + 768 pp., 484 fig., 3 tables, 2002 / 2005. ISBN 08137 31089 (same as previous two volumes).
    • Part H, Revised. Brachiopoda, Volume 5: Sub-phylum Rhynchonelliformea (3rd part: Orders Spiriferida
      Spiriferida
      Spiriferida is an order of extinct articulate brachiopod fossils which are known for their long hinge-line, which is often the widest part of the shell. In some genera it is greatly elongated, giving them a wing-like appearance. They often have a deep fold down the center of the shell...

      , Spiriferinida, Thecideida, Terebratulida
      Terebratulida
      Terebratulids are one of only five living orders of articulate brachiopods, the others being the Rhynchonellida, Thecideida, Craniida, and Lingulida. The name may be derived from the Latin "terebra", meaning "hole-borer"...

       & Uncertain), 2006. ISBN 08137 31356.

Mollusca (I, J, K, L, M & N)

  • Part I. Mollusca
    Mollusca
    MolluscsSpelled mollusk in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling "mollusc" see the reasons given by . are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 93,000 recognized extant species, making it the largest marine phylum with about 23% of...

     1: Mollusca General Features, Scaphopoda, Amphineura, Monoplacophora
    Monoplacophora
    Monoplacophora, meaning “bearing one plate”, is a class of shelled mollusks living on the bottom of deep sea. They have cap-like shell. They are known as recent species since 1952, previously they were known from fossils only.- History of discoveries :...

    , Gastropoda General Features, Archaeogastropoda
    Archaeogastropoda
    Archaeogastropoda is a taxonomic order of sea snails used in older classifications of gastropods. Archeogastropoda are marine prosobranch gastropod mollusks, mainly herbivores, typically having two gills and a double-chambered heart, with the eggs and sperm discharged directly into the water...

    , Mainly Paleozoic Caenogastropoda
    Caenogastropoda
    The clade Caenogastropoda, first established by Cox in 1960, comprise a large diverse group of mostly marine gastropods. This group combines the older taxa Mesogastropoda and Neogastropoda...

     and Opisthobranchia
    Opisthobranchia
    Opisthobranchs, , are a large and diverse group of specialized complex marine gastropods previously united under Opisthobranchia within the Heterobranchia. The group has also been called Euthyneura referring to the untorted visceral nerve cord.Opisthobranch means gills behind...

    ), xxiii + 351 p., 216 fig., 1960. This original is out-of-print. --- Parts I and J refer to the more primitive mollusks and the snail
    Snail
    The word snail is a common name for almost all members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word snail is used in a general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. Snails lacking a shell or having only a very small one are...

    s.

  • (Part J, Mollusca 2: Paleozoic Gastropoda
    Gastropoda
    The class Gastropoda or gastropods form a major part of the phylum Mollusca. Gastropods are more commonly known as snails and slugs....

      --- in preparation)

  • Part K. Mollusca 3: Cephalopoda General Features, Endoceratoidea, Actinoceratoidea, Nautiloidea, & Bactritoidea, xxviii + 519 p., 361 fig., 1964. ISBN 08137 30112. --- Part K refers to the nautilus-related mollusks. Also, for a pertinent internal Wikipedia link, see the genus Endoceras
    Endoceras
    An endocerid is a member of the nautiloid order Endocerida, an extinct cephalopod from the Lower Paleozoic with cone-like deposits in its siphuncle.-Order Endocerida:...

     for the endoceratoids.
    • (Part K, Revised. Mollusca 3: Nautiloidea --- volume in preparation)

  • Part L. Mollusca 4: Ammonoidea
    Ammonoidea
    The Ammonoidea constitute a subclass of extinct cephalopods found in marine sediments from the Early Devonian through the Cretaceous , existing for approximately ....

    , xxii + 490 p., 558 fig., 1957. This original is out-of-print. --- Part L refers to the group including the extinct ammonite
    Ammonite
    Ammonites, as they pertain specifically to the order Ammonitida, are an extinct group of marine animals belonging to the cephalopod subclass Ammonoidea...

    s and goniatite
    Goniatite
    Goniatites are extinct ammonoids, shelled cephalopods related to squid, octopus, and belemnites, that form the order Goniatitida. The Gonatitida originated from within the more primitive anarcestine ammonoides in the Middle Devonian some 390 million years ago...

    s.
    • Part L, Revised. Mollusca 4: Cretaceous Ammonoidea, xx + 362 p., 216 fig., 1995 / 1996. ISBN 08137 31127.
      • (Part L, Revised. Mollusca 4: Paleozoic to Jurassic Ammonoidea --- additional volumes in preparation)

  • (Part M. Mollusca 5: Coleoidea
    Coleoidea
    Subclass Coleoidea is the grouping of cephalopods containing all the primarily soft-bodied creatures. Unlike its sister group Nautiloidea, whose members have a rigid outer shell for protection, the coleoids have at most an internal bone or shell that is used for buoyancy or support...

     --- in preparation) --- Part M includes the squid
    Squid
    Squid are marine cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms and two longer tentacles arranged in pairs...

    s, cuttlefish
    Cuttlefish
    Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida belonging to the Cephalopoda class . Despite their common name, cuttlefish are not fish but mollusks...

    , and extinct belemnoids.

  • Part N. Mollusca 6: Bivalvia
    Bivalvia
    Bivalves are marine and freshwater molluscs belonging to the class Bivalvia. Other names for the class include Bivalva, Pelecypoda, and Lamellibranchia...

    , Volumes 1 and 2 (of 3), xxxvii + 952 p., 613 fig., 1969. ISBN 08137 30147. --- Part N refers to the clam
    Clam
    In the USA, the word "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, is as a general term covering all bivalve mollusks. The word can also be used in a more limited sense, to mean bivalves which burrow in sediment, as opposed to ones which attach themselves to the substrate , or ones which can...

    s, oyster
    Oyster
    The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....

    s, scallop
    Scallop
    A scallop is a marine bivalve mollusc of the family Pectinidae. Scallops are a cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans. Many scallops are highly prized as a food source...

    s, mussel
    Mussel
    The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...

    s and other commonly-fossilized pelecypods.
    • Part N. Mollusca 6: Bivalvia, Volume 3: Oyster
      Oyster
      The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....

      s, iv + 272 p., 153 fig., 1971. ISBN 08137 30260.

Arthropoda (O, P, Q & R)

  • Part O. Arthropoda 1: Arthropoda General Features, Protarthropoda, Euarthropoda
    Euarthropoda
    Euarthropod, or formally the Euarthropoda is a term that is often used to refer to the well-sclerotised arthropod clades, i.e., the chelicerates, pycnogonids, crustaceans, insects and myriapods...

     General Features, Trilobitomorpha
    Trilobitomorpha
    The Trilobitomorpha is a subphylum of the phylum Arthropoda that includes the trilobites. Originally a variety of peculiar forms, mostly from the lower Cambrian, were included as the Class Trilobitoidea...

    , xix + 560 p., 415 fig., 1959. This original is out-of-print. --- Part O refers to the basal velvet worm
    Velvet worm
    The velvet worms are a minor Ecdysozoan phylum. The segmented worm-like organisms have tiny eyes, antennae, multiple pairs of legs and slime glands. Most common in tropical regions of the Southern Hemisphere, they prey on smaller animals such as insects, which they catch by squirting an adhesive...

    s (Onychophora) , primitive water bears (Tardigrada), and the often-fossilized, long-extinct trilobite
    Trilobite
    Trilobites are a well-known fossil group of extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites first appear in the fossil record during the Early Cambrian period and flourished throughout the lower Paleozoic era before beginning a drawn-out decline to extinction when, during the...

    s.
    • Part O, Revised. Arthropoda 1: Trilobita: Introduction, Order Agnostida
      Agnostida
      Agnostida is an order of trilobite. These small trilobites first appeared toward the end of the Early Cambrian and thrived in the Middle Cambrian. They are present in the lower Cambrian fossil record along with trilobites from Orders Redlichiida, Corynexochida, and Ptychopariida...

       & Order Redlichiida
      Redlichiida
      Redlichiida is an order within the major extinct arthropod class Trilobita. The Redlichids are one of the four older classes of trilobites that originated in the Lower Cambrian....

      , xxiv + 530 p., 309 fig., 1997. ISBN 08137 31151.
      • (Part O, Revised. Arthropoda 1: Trilobita --- additional volumes in preparation).

  • Part P. Arthropoda 2: Chelicerata
    Chelicerata
    The subphylum Chelicerata constitutes one of the major subdivisions of the phylum Arthropoda, and includes horseshoe crabs, scorpions, spiders and mites. They originated as marine animals, possibly in the Cambrian period, but the first confirmed chelicerate fossils, eurypterids, date from in the...

    , Pycnogonida & Palaeoisopus, xvii + 181 p., 123 fig., 1955 / 1956. ISBN 08137 30163. --- Part P refers to the extinct giant sea scorpion
    Sea Scorpion
    Sea Scorpion may refer to:* Eurypterids, members of the extinct class Eurypterida* some members of the Cottidae family of fish including the Long-spined Sea Scorpion and Short-spined Sea Scorpion...

    s, the horseshoe crab
    Horseshoe crab
    The horseshoe crab or Atlantic horseshoe crab is a marine chelicerate arthropod. Despite its name, it is more closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions than to crabs. Horseshoe crabs are most commonly found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the northern Atlantic coast of North America...

    s, and the sea spider
    Sea spider
    Sea spiders, also called Pantopoda or pycnogonids, are marine arthropods of class Pycnogonida. They are cosmopolitan, found especially in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas and the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. There are over 1300 known species, ranging in size from , to over in some deep water...

    s.

  • Part Q. Arthropoda 3: Crustacea & Ostracoda, xxiii + 442 p., 334 fig., 1961. ISBN 08137 30171. --- Parts Q and R refer to the true crab
    Crab
    Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax.Crabs have a soft body covered with a hard shell. They are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and armed with a...

    s, lobster
    Lobster
    Clawed lobsters compose a family of large marine crustaceans. Lobsters are economically important as seafood, forming the basis of a global industry that nets US$31.8 billion in trade annually....

    s, often-fossilized seed shrimp (ostracod
    Ostracod
    Ostracoda is a class of the Crustacea, sometimes known as the seed shrimp because of their appearance. Some 65,000 species have been identified, grouped into several orders. This group may not be monophyletic. Ostracod taxa are grouped into a Class based on gross morphology...

    s), myriapods (millipede
    Millipede
    Millipedes, known as shongololos in South African English, are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment . Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one...

    s and centipede
    Centipede
    Centipedes are arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda and the Subphylum Myriapoda. They are elongated metameric animals with one pair of legs per body segment. A key trait uniting this group is a pair of venom claws or forcipules formed from a modified first appendage...

    s), and the rarely-fossilized insect
    Insect
    Insects are arthropods, having a hard exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million species that are already described. Insects represent more than half of all...

    s (hexapods).
    • (Part Q, Revised. Arthropoda 3 --- in preparation)

  • Part R. Arthropoda 4, Volumes 1 and 2: Crustacea (exclusive of Ostracoda), Myriapoda
    Myriapoda
    Myriapoda is a subphylum of arthropods containing millipedes, centipedes, and others. The group contains 13,000 species, all of which are terrestrial ...

    , & Hexapoda, xxxvi + 651 p., 397 fig., 1969. This volume is out-of-print.
  • Part R. Arthropoda 4, Volumes 3 and 4: Hexapoda
    Hexapoda
    The subphylum Hexapoda constitutes the largest grouping of arthropods and includes the insects as well as three much smaller groups of wingless arthropods: Collembola, Protura, and Diplura . The Collembola are very abundant in terrestrial environments...

    , xxii + 655 p., 265 fig., 1992. This volume is out-of-print.
    • (Part R, Revised. Arthropoda 4 --- in preparation)

Echinodermata (S, T & U)

  • Part S. Echinodermata 1: Echinodermata General Features, Homalozoa
    Homalozoa
    The Homalozoa were traditionally considered to be stem-group echinoderms, but had also been considered to lie in the stem lineage of the chordates. They include the unusual stylophorans , Homoiostelea , the Homostelea , and the Ctenocystoidea...

    , Crinozoa (exclusive of Crinoidea), Volumes 1 and 2, xxx + 650 p., 400 fig., 1967 / 1968. This volume is out-of-print. ---- Part S refers to long-extinct, more-primitive, sessile echinoderms.

  • Part T. Echinodermata 2: Crinoidea, Volumes 1 to 3, xxxviii + 1,027 p., 619 fig., 1978. This volume is out-of-print. ----Part T refers to the largely-extinct sea lily group.

  • Part T. Echinodermata 2: Crinoidea & Fascicle, References & Index to Volumes 1 to 3, i + 90 p., 1978. This volume is out-of-print.
    • (Part T, Revised. Echinodermata 2: Crinoidea --- in preparation)

  • Part U. Echinodermata 3: Asterozoans & Echinozoans, xxx + 695 p., 534 fig., 1966. ISBN 08137 30228. ---- Part U refers to groups including the sea star
    Sea star
    Sea stars are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "sea star" and "starfish" are sometimes differentiated, with "starfish" used in a broader sense to include the closely related brittle stars, which make up the class Ophiuroidea, as well as excluding sea stars which do not have...

    s and the sea urchin
    Sea urchin
    Sea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals that compose part of class Echinoidea. They are found in oceans all over the world. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from 3 to 10 cm across. Common colors include black and dull shades of green, olive, brown, purple,...

    s. For two closely-related internal Wikipedia links, see Asteroidea for the asterozoans, and Echinoidea for the echinozoans.

Graptolithina (V)

  • Part V. Graptolithina, xvii + 101 p., 72 fig., 1955. This original is out-of-print. --- Part V refers to the extinct graptolite
    Graptolite
    Graptolites are fossil colonial animals known chiefly from the Upper Cambrian through the Lower Carboniferous...

    s, as well as to other hemichordates.
    • Part V, Revised. Graptolithina: with sections on Enteropneusta & Pterobranchia
      Pterobranchia
      Pterobranchia is a clade of small, worm-shaped animals. They belong to the hemichordata, and live in secreted tubes on the ocean floor. Pterobranchia feed by filtering plankton out of the water with the help of cilia attached to tentacles. There are about 30 known living species in the group.The...

      , xxxii + 163 p., 109 fig., 1970 / 1971. ISBN 08137 31232.
      • (Part V, Revised. Graptolithina -- in preparation)

Miscellanea and Conodonta (W)

  • Part W. Miscellanea: Conodont
    Conodont
    Conodonts are extinct chordates resembling eels, classified in the class Conodonta. For many years, they were known only from tooth-like microfossils now called conodont elements, found in isolation...

    s, Conoidal shell
    Conoid
    In geometry, a conoid is a ruled surface all of whose rulings intersect a fixed straight line, called the axis of the conoid. If all its rulings are perpendicular to its axis, then the conoid is a right conoid....

    s of uncertain affinities, Worm
    Scolecodonts
    A scolecodont is the jaw of a polychaete annelid, a common type of fossil-producing segmented worm useful in invertebrate paleontology. Scolecodonts are common and diverse microfossils, which range from the Cambrian period to the present...

    s, Trace Fossil
    Trace fossil
    Trace fossils, also called ichnofossils , are geological records of biological activity. Trace fossils may be impressions made on the substrate by an organism: for example, burrows, borings , footprints and feeding marks, and root cavities...

    s, & problematica
    Problematica
    Problematica can be:* A substitute for a taxon used for organisms whose classification cannot be decided: See incertae sedis* The specific epithet of various species...

    , xxv + 259 p., 153 fig., 1962. ISBN 08137 30244. --- The enigmatic conodonts may turn out to be primal vertebrate
    Vertebrate
    Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata, chordates with backbones or spinal columns. About 58,000 species of vertebrates have been described. Vertebrata is the largest subphylum of chordates, and contains many familiar groups of large land animals. Vertebrates comprise cyclostomes, bony...

    s.
    • Part W, Revised. Miscellanea, Supplement 1: Trace Fossils and problematica, xxi + 269 p., 110 fig., 1975. This volume is out-of-print.
      • (Part W, Revised. Trace Fossils --- in preparation)
    • Part W, Revised. Miscellanea, Supplement 2: Conodonta, xxviii + 202 p., frontis., 122 fig., 1981. ISBN 08137 30287.

External links

  • Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Volumes A through W, 1953 to 2006 (and continuing). Home page sponsored by Geological Society of America
    Geological Society of America
    The is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by James Hall, James D. Dana, and Alexander Winchell, and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose Place, Boulder, Colorado, USA, since 1968. As of 2007, the society has...

     and The Paleontological Institute at the University of Kansas
    University of Kansas
    The University of Kansas , the State of Kansas Flagship university , is a public research university with campuses located in Lawrence, Kansas City, and Overland Park, Kansas with the main campus being located atop Mount Oread in Lawrence...

    .