The PaleozoicEra is the first of three geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic and ends 251.9 Ma at the start of the Mesozoic Era. The Paleozoic is subdivided into six geologic periods, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian. Some geological timescales divide the Paleozoic informally into early and late sub-eras: the Early Paleozoic consisting of the Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian; the Late Paleozoic consisting of the Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian.
Goniatites is a genus of extinct cephalopods belonging to the family Goniatitidae, included in the superfamily Goniatitaceae. Hibernicoceras and Hypergoniatites are among related genera.
Asturoceras is an extinct late Paleozoic ammonoid cephalopod genus belonging to the Goniatitida, named by Ruzhencev and Bogoslovskaya in 1969.
Aristoceras is a Late Paleozoic goniatitid genus included in the Goniatitina suborder in which the lobes of the external suture are irregularly serrate.
Beyrichoceras is a genus belonging to the goniatitid family Maxigoniatitidae that lived during the Mississippian Period
Tornoceratina is one of two suborders included in the Goniatitida, characterized by generally involute, subdiscoidal shells and by sutures in which the ventral ones are undivided.
Dimeroceratidae is one of three families in the Dimeroceratoidea, a goniatid superfamily included in the Ammonoidea; extinct shelled cephalopods with adorally convex septa and usually narrow ventro-marginal siphuncles.
The Posttornoceratidae are Late Devonian goniatites (Ammonoidea) included in the superfamily Tornoceratoidea. The family, Posttornoceratidae, named by Bogoslovsky in 1962, is based on the genus Posttornoceras, named by Wedekind in 1910, originally included in the Tornoceratidae.
Dimorphoceratoidea is one of seventeen superfamilies included in the ammonoid suborder Goniatitina, a variety of shelled cephalopods that lived during the late Paleozoic.
Gastrioceratoidea is one of 17 superfamilies in the suborder Goniatitina, ammonoid cephalopods from the Late Paleozoic.
Goniatitoidea, formerly Goniatitaceae in older publications, is a superfamily of late Paleozoic ammonoid cephalopods included in the Goniatitida. They are characterized by thinly discoidal to globular shells with variable umbilici and sculpture. The ventral lobe, located along the outer margin, is prominently bifurcated ; the lateral lobe undivided.
Adrianitidae is a family in the Adrianitaceae, a superfamily of ammonites in the cephalopod order, Goniatitida, known from the Middle Pennsylvanian to the Middle Permian.
Dimorphoceratinae is one of two subfamilies included in the family Dimorphoceratidae. The subfamily is characterized by having only the ventral lobe of the suture subdivided. Shells are completely involute, with the inner whorls completely hidden, and mostly suboxiconic such that the rim, or venter, is fairly narrow. Sculpture consists only of growth lines, sometimes with delicate spiral ornamentation. The Ventral lobe becomes extremely wide by subdivision.
Goniatitinae is one of six subfamilies into which the Goniatitidae is subdivided according to Miller, Furnish, and Schindewolf, 1957. The diagnostic character is the narrow bifurcated ventral lobe of the suture, which lies along the outer rim. As with the inclusive Goniatitidae, sutures have eight lobes, shells are without prominent ornament, umbilici are small to moderate in size.
Thalassoceratidae a family of late Paleozoic ammonites included in the goniatitid superfamily Thalassoceratoidea along with the Bisatoceratidae. Some eight genera are included, although the specific number and exactly which depends on the particular classification.
The Cravenoceratidae is one of six families included in the ammonoid superfamily Neoglyphioceratoidea, which lived during the latter part of the Paleozoic era.
Holodipterus is an extinct genus of prehistoric sarcopterygian or lobe-finned fish.
Prolecanitida is an order of extinct ammonoid cephalopods, the major Late Paleozoic group of ammonoids alongside the order Goniatitida. Prolecanitids had narrow shells, discoidal (disc-shaped) to thinly lenticular (lens-shaped). They retained a retrochoanitic siphuncle, a simple form with septal necks extending backwards. As is typical for ammonoids, the siphuncle sits along the ventral margin of the shell.
Cravevoceras is an Upper Paleozoic ammonite in the goniatite family Cravenoceratidae, probably derived from Pachylyroceras and contemporary with other cravenoceratid genera like Caenolyroceras, Tympanoceras and later Alaoceras and Lyrogoniatites. It is also a member of the Neoglyphioceratoidea.
The evolution of fish began about 530 million years ago during the Cambrian explosion. It was during this time that the early chordates developed the skull and the vertebral column, leading to the first craniates and vertebrates. The first fish lineages belong to the Agnatha, or jawless fish. Early examples include Haikouichthys. During the late Cambrian, eel-like jawless fish called the conodonts, and small mostly armoured fish known as ostracoderms, first appeared. Most jawless fish are now extinct; but the extant lampreys may approximate ancient pre-jawed fish. Lampreys belong to the Cyclostomata, which includes the extant hagfish, and this group may have split early on from other agnathans.
