Rastellum

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Rastellum
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic–Late Cretaceous
Rastellum carinatum fossil oyster (Upper Cretaceous; Marovoay, Madagascar) 3 (25473797433).jpg
Fossil shell of Rastellum carinatum from Upper Cretaceous, Marovoay, Madagascar
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Ostreida
Family:† Arctostreidae
Genus:† Rastellum
Faujas de Saint Fond, 1799 [1]
Type species
† Rastellum macropterum
Species [2]
Synonyms [2]

Rastellum is a genus of extinct molluscs, which lived from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Subtaxa

Species within this genus include: [6]

Fossil record

Fossil shell of Rastellum carinatum from Jurassic of Tulear, Madagascar Ostreidae - Rastellum carinatum.JPG
Fossil shell of Rastellum carinatum from Jurassic of Tulear, Madagascar

Fossils of Rastellum are found from the Middle Jurassic until the Late Cretaceous (age range: from 161.2 to 66.043 million years ago.). [7] They are present in the Cretaceous marine strata throughout the world, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Gabon, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Libya, Madagascar, Mozambique, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and United States. They can also be found in the Jurassic marine strata of India, Japan, Mexico and Poland. [6]

Description

The shells of molluscs of Rastellum species can reach a length of about 10 cm (3.9 in). These oysters had a narrow-valved, tubular shell, which was composed of regularly alternating sharp ridges and deep folds. The vulnerable commissure (along which the valves meet) was sunk.

Lifestyle

This genus inhabited warm waters, where it cemented itself with the pointed vertebrae to shells or corals. Oysters belonging to the genus Rastellum were stationary epifaunal suspension feeders. [6]

References

  1. ↑ Faujas de Saint Fond, Barthélemy (1799 (1801)). Histoire Naturelle de la Montagne Saint-Pierre. Paris: 263 p., available online at http://www.e-rara.ch/zut/content/titleinfo/4589691 page(s): 167
  2. 1 2 MolluscaBase eds. (2024). MolluscaBase. Rastellum Faujas de Saint Fond, 1799 †. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1612856 on 25 July 2024
  3. ↑ H. E. Vokes. 1980. Genera of the Bivalvia: a systematic and bibliographic Catalogue
  4. ↑ GBIF
  5. ↑ IRMNG
  6. 1 2 3 Fossilworks
  7. ↑ Sepkoski, Jack Sepkoski's Online Genus Database


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