Hyolitha

Hyolitha
Temporal range: Fortunian to end Permian,
Hyolithes cerops, Spence Shale, Idaho (Middle Cambrian)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Superphylum: Lophotrochozoa
Class: Hyolitha
Marek, 1963
Orders

See text.

Hyoliths are animals with small conical shells, known from fossils from the Palaeozoic era. They are at least considered as being lophotrochozoan, and possibly being lophophorates, a group which includes the brachiopods (hyoliths may even be brachiopods themselves), while others consider them as being basal lophotrochozoans, or even molluscs.