Melanostrophus signum was described from the Ordovician of Kohtla, Estonia, by A.A. Öpik on the basis of a single specimen.
'[...] Melanostrophus signum Öpik could be interpreted as follows (for illustrations see Öpik 1930: pl:3: 3 or Howell 1962:104, fig. 14): the plate-like fragment of the fossil was an initial part of the colony and its tubular irregular offshoots were more but graptovermid, i.e. resting stolothecae' (Mierzejewski 1988, p. 270). According to Mierzejewski & Urbanek (2003) this species should be treated as nomen dubium. Unfortunately, the holotype and only specimen of this species is lost. Nevertheless, Zessin and Puttkamer (1994) separated it in a new stolonoid genus (Stolonofolliculis) and allocated it to the new family (Stolonofolliculidae) of the order Stolonoidea.
Melanostrophus fokini from the Ordovician of Estonia was recognized as a cephalodiscid? hemichordate by Mierzejewski & Urbanek, 2004. |
