Rhabdopleurida

Rhabdopleurida is one of three orders in the class Pterobranchia, which are small, worm-shaped animals, are the only surviving graptolites. Members belong to the hemichordates. Species in this order are sessile, colonial, connected with a stolon, living in clear water and secrete tubes called tubarium. They have a single gonad, the gill slits are absent and the collar has two tentaculated arms. Rhabdopleura is the best studied pterobranch in developmental biology.

Rhabdopleurida Temporal range:
Rhabdopleura normani
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Hemichordata
Class:	Pterobranchia
Subclass:	Graptolithina
Order:	Rhabdopleurida
Family:	Rhabdopleuridae Allman, 1869
Genera
?†Archaeocryptolaria Chapman, 1919 ?†Haplograptus Ulrich & Ruedemann, 1931 ex Ruedemann, 1933 ?†Malongitubus Hu, 2005 ?†Sphenoecium Chapman & Thomas, 1936 ?†Yuknessia Walcott, 1919 †Calyxhydra Kozlowski, 1959 †Chitinodendron Eisenack, 1937 †Cylindrohydra Kozłowski, 1959 †Diplohydra Kozlowski, 1949 †Eorhabdopleura Kozlowski, 1970 †Epigraptus Eisenack, 1941 †Fasciculitubus Obut & Sobolevskaya, 1967 †Graptovermis Kozlowski, 1938 ex Kozlowski, 1949 †Haliolophus Sars, 1868 †Idiotubus Kozłowski, 1949 †Kystodendron Kolowski, 1959 †Lagenohydra Kozlowski, 1959 †Palaeokylix Eisenack, 1932 †Palaeotuba Eisenack, 1934 †Rhabdopleurites Kozlowski, 1967 †Rhabdopleuroides Kozlowski, 1961 †Rhabdotubus Bengtson & Urbanek, 1986 †Sphenothallus Chapman, 1917 non Hall, 1847 †Stolonodendrum Kozlowski 1938 ex Kozlowski, 1949 †Xenotheca Eisenack, 1937 Rhabdopleura Allman, 1869
Synonyms
Order Stolonoidea Kozlowski, 1938 Family Graptovermidae Kozlowski, 1949 Idiotubidae Kozlowski, 1949 Rhabdopleuritidae Mierzejewski, 1986 Rhabdopleuroididae Mierzejewski, 1986 Stolonodendridae Bulman, 1955

Taxonomy

This small order is monotypic. It has only a single extant genus, containing four to six living species.

Order Rhabdopleurida Fowler, 1892

• Family Rhabdopleuridae Harmer, 1905
  • Genus Rhabdopleura Allman, 1869
    • Rhabdopleura annulata Norman, 1921 — Indo-Pacific region
    • Rhabdopleura compacta Hincks, 1880 — Atlantic
    • Rhabdopleura normani Allmann, 1869 — Atlantic and parts of the Pacific
    • Rhabdopleura recondita Beli, Cameron and Piraino, 2018 — Mediterranean
    • Rhabdopleura striata Schepotieff, 1909 — Pacific (Sri Lanka)

Nomen dubium:

• Rhabdopleura grimaldi Julien, 1890
• Rhabdopleura manubialis Jullien & Calvet, 1903

Extinct species:

• †Rhabdopleura delmari Mortelmans 1955
• †Rhabdopleura graysoni Chapman, Durman & Rickards, 1995
• †Rhabdopleura hollandi Rickards, Chapman & Temple, 1984
• †Rhabdopleura kozlowskii Kulicki, 1969
• †Rhabdopleura obuti Durman & Sennikov, 1993
• †Rhabdopleura sinica Chapman, Durman & Rickards, 1995
• †Rhabdopleura vistulae Kozlowski, 1956

References

• Marinespecies.org
• ITIS.gov
• Hayward, P.J.; Ryland, J.S. (Ed.) (1990). The marine fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe: 1. Introduction and protozoans to arthropods. Clarendon Press: Oxford, UK. ISBN 0-19-857356-1. 627 pp.