Helcionelliformes
Helcionellid or Helcionelliformes is an order of small fossil shells that are universally interpreted as molluscs, though no sources spell out why this taxonomic interpretation is preferred. These animals are first found about in the late Nemakit-Daldynian age, which is the earliest part of the Cambrian period. A single species persisted to the Early Ordovician. These fossils are component of the small shelly fossils (SSF) assemblages. These are thought to be early molluscs with rather snail-like shells, although they lack any compelling molluscan synapomorphies and thus may not belong to the group. They have been alleged to represent ancestors of the modern conchiferans, a group that includes all the well-known modern classes – gastropods, cephalopods and bivalves. They have also been considered to represent direct ancestors to the cephalopods. Parkhaev (2006, 2007) considers these animals to be crown-group gastropods. Previous to the 2006 classification by Parkhaev, ...
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Helcionelloida
Helcionelloida is an extinct group of ancient molluscs (phylum Mollusca). These are the oldest known conchiferan molluscs, that is, they had a mineralised shell. Some members of this class were mistaken for Monoplacophorans. The class was erected by Peel in 1991. Anatomy These animals were untorted and they had a coiled, cone-shaped she