Ellipsocephaloidea is a superfamily of

trilobites Trilobites (; meaning "three-lobed entities") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. One of the earliest groups of arthropods to appear in the fossil record, trilobites were among the most successful of all early animals, ...

that lived during the

Cambrian The Cambrian ( ) is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 51.95 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran period 538.8 Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Ordov ...

period. It was first described by Lin in 1990.

Taxonomy

According to the Fossilworks database, Ellipsocephaloidea belongs to the order

Redlichiida Redlichiida is an order of trilobites, a group of extinct marine arthropods. Species assigned to the order Redlichiida are among the first trilobites to appear in the fossil record, about halfway during the Lower Cambrian. Due to the difficul ...

and includes several families, such as Agraulidae, Bigotinidae, Ellipsocephalidae, Estaingiidae, Palaeolenidae, and Yunnanocephalidae, although it is now thought the superfamily is within the

Ptychopariida Ptychopariida is a large, heterogeneous order of trilobite containing some of the most primitive species known. The earliest species occurred in the second half of the Lower Cambrian, and the last species did not survive the Ordovician–Siluria ...

Agraulidae

Agraulidae is a family of trilobites within the superfamily Ellipsocephaloidea. Members of this family are characterized by their large size and distinctive cephalic features.

Bigotinidae

Bigotinidae is another family of trilobites within the superfamily Ellipsocephaloidea. Members of this family are known for their small size and elongated body shape.

Ellipsocephalidae

Ellipsocephalidae is a family of trilobites within the superfamily Ellipsocephaloidea. Members of this family are characterized by their oval-shaped cephalon and distinctive thoracic segments.

Estaingiidae

Estaingiidae is a family of trilobites within the superfamily Ellipsocephaloidea. Members of this family are known for their large size and distinctive pygidium.

Palaeolenidae

Palaeolenidae is a family of trilobites within the superfamily Ellipsocephaloidea. Members of this family are characterized by their small size and distinctive cephalic features.

Yunnanocephalidae

Yunnanocephalidae is a family of trilobites within the superfamily Ellipsocephaloidea. Members of this family are known for their large size and distinctive thoracic segments.

Ecology

These trilobites were fast-moving low-level epifaunal deposit feeders.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21035202 Redlichiida Ptychopariida Trilobite superfamilies