Gigantoproductus

Gigantoproductus
Temporal range: Carboniferous,
~339.4–318.1 Ma
Gigantoproductus sp. (discovered near Seahouses, Northumberland, UK)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Brachiopoda
Class:
†Strophomenata
Order:
†Productida
Family:
†Monticuliferidae
Subfamily:
†Gigantoproductinae
Tribe:
†Gigantoproductini
Genus:
†Gigantoproductus

Prentice, 1950
Species

Gigantoproductus is a genus of extinct brachiopods in the order Productida and the family Monticuliferidae. The species were the largest of the carboniferous brachiopods, with the largest known species (Gigantoproductus giganteus) reaching 30 cm (12 in) in shell width.[2] Such huge invertebrates appeared in the Mississippian as the proportion of oxygen in the atmosphere began to rise.[2] The earliest members of the Productida date back to the Silurian period, and Gigantoproductus is known to have existed between 339.4 to 318.1 million years ago, during the Carboniferous period. As fossils, their shells occur within a limestone matrix.[3]

  1. ^ Lee Davies. "Gigantoproductus giganteus". Natural History Museum. Retrieved 2013-02-21.
  2. ^ a b Brian Keith Hall, Gerd B. Müller, Roy Douglas Pearson (2004). Environment, Development, and Evolution. Toward a Synthesis. MIT Press. p. 87. ISBN 9780262083195. Retrieved 2022-08-23.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Tom Yancey. "Phylum Brachiopoda (brachiopods)". Carboniferous fossils of Russia. Retrieved 2013-02-21.