| Rhynchonellata Temporal range: Lower Cambrian–Recent |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Brachiopoda |
| Subphylum: | Rhynchonelliformea |
| Class: | Rhynchonellata |
| Orders | |
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The Rhynchonellata is a class of articulate brachiopods that combines certain orders from within the Rhynchonelliformea (Articulata revised). The class ranges from the Lower Cambrian to Recent.
Orders included in the Rhynchonellata are the Rhynchonellida, Orthida, Pentamerida, Atrypida, Athyridida, Spiriferida, Spiriferinida and Terebratulida. The Atrypida, Athyridida, and Spiriferinida were originally included in the Spiriferida as suborders. The Atrypida is the Atrypacea, the Athyridida, the Rostropiracea and the Spiriferinida the Punctospiracea of Moore, Lalicker, and Fischer.
The Orthida and Spiriferida have wide hinge lines. The Pentamerida, Terebratulida, Atripida and Athyridida have narrow hinge lines. The Orthida, Pentamerida, Rhynchonellida, and Terebratulida have looped brachidia. The Spiriferida, Atrypida, Athyridida, and Spiriferinida have spiral brachidia. Some, like the Rhynchonellida and Spiriferida, may be strongly plicate, with a median fold and sulcus. Others, like the Spiriferinida and Terebratulida are basically smooth. All a primarily or exclusively impunctate but some e.g. Orthida and Rhynchonellida have puctate off shoots.