Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 16, 2026

Leptaena

Leptaena is an extinct genus of mid-sized brachiopod that existed from the Dariwilian epoch to the Emsian epoch, though some specimens have been found in strata as late in age as the Tournasian epoch. Like some other Strophomenids, Lepteana were epifaunal, meaning they lived on top of the seafloor, not buried within it, and were suspension feeders.

Last revised
Jul 16, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
Length
712 w
Citations
13
Source
Leptaena
Temporal range:
Leptaena rhomboidalis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Brachiopoda
Class: Strophomenata
Order: Strophomenida
Family: Rafinesquinidae
Subfamily: Leptaeninae
Genus: Leptaena
Dalman, 1828
Type species
Leptaena rugosa
Dalman, 1828
Species
Synonyms
  • Kurnamena Roomusoks, 1989
  • Leptaenopoma Marek and Havlíček, 1967
  • Orhoria Havlicek and Storch, 1990
  • Similoleptaena Roomusoks, 1989
  • Turgenostrophia

Leptaena is an extinct genus of mid-sized brachiopod that existed from the Dariwilian epoch to the Emsian epoch,12 though some specimens have been found in strata as late in age as the Tournasian epoch.13 Like some other Strophomenids, Lepteana were epifaunal, meaning they lived on top of the seafloor, not buried within it, and were suspension feeders.4

Physical description

Leptaena usually have concentric wrinkling and concentric lines on the shell. Leptaena have a concavo-convex profile, and are sometimes Semiquadrate to semielliptical. The Cardinal Process is split in two and the hinge line is straight.4 Their width is usually greater than their length, like most Strophomenids.

Distribution

Leptaena fossils have been found on every continent except Antarctica.356

Species

Leptaena was a diverse genus, with over 70 recognized species and subgenera. Species in the genus Leptaena include the following.367 Any synonymous genera to which a given species may belong to are labelled with the synonymous genus in parentheses.

  • L. acuta (Kurnamena) (Roomusoks, 2004)
  • L. acuticuspidata Amsden, 1958
  • L. aequalis Amsden, 1974
  • L. alliku (Oraspold, 1956)
  • L. altera Rybnikova, 1966
  • L. amelia (Havlicek, 1967)
  • L. analogaeformis Biernat, 1966
  • L. arberae Kelly, 1967
  • L. argentina (Thomas, 1905)
  • L. bergstroemi Cocks, 2005
  • L. borghiana Mergl & Massa, 1992
  • L. boyaca Caster, 1939
  • L. contermina Cocks, 1968
  • L. convexa Weller, 1914
  • L. cooperi Easton et al., 1958
  • L. crassorugata (Similoleptaena) (Rõõmusoks, 2004)
  • L. croma (Havlicek & Storch, 1990)
  • L.crypta Opik, 1930
  • L. cryptoides (Oraspold, 1956)
  • L. dejecta (Baarli, 1995)
  • L. delicata Amsden, 1949
  • L. depressa (Sowerby, 1825)
  • L. diademata (Williams, 1962)
  • L. electra (Havlicek, 1967)
  • L. ennessbe Spjeldnaes, 1957
  • L. enucleata Klenina, 1984
  • L. eska Gallager & Harper, 20248
  • L. friedrichi (Similoleptaena) (Rõõmusoks, 2004)
  • L. gibbosa (James, 1874)
  • L. haverfordensis Bancroft, 1949
  • L. holcrofti Bassett, 1974
  • L. indigena Spjeldnaes, 1957
  • L. infrunita (Williams, 1962)
  • L. ingrica (Similoleptaena) (Rõõmusoks, 2004)
  • L. juvenilis (Öpik, 1930)
  • L. kentuckiana Pope, 1982
  • L. lappa (Havlicek & Storch, 1990)
  • L. lappina (Havlicek & Storch, 1990)
  • L. laterorugata (Kurnamena) (Roomusoks, 1989)
  • L. lemniscata (Havlicek, 1967)
  • L. limbifera (Havlicek, 1967)
  • L. martinensis Cocks, 1968
  • L. moniquensis Foerste, 1924
  • L. nanaformis Zhang et al., 1983
  • L. nassichuki Smith, 1980
  • L. odeon Havlicek, 1967
  • L. oklahomensis Amsden, 1951
  • L. ordovicica (Cooper, 1956)
  • L. orhor (Havlicek & Storch, 1990)
  • L. palmrei (Kurnamena) (Roomusoks, 2004)
  • L. parvirugata Hoel, 2005
  • L. parvissima Ivanovskii & Kulkov, 1974
  • L. paucirugata (Roomusoks 1989)
  • L. pertenuis (Similoleptaena) (Rõõmusoks, 2004)
  • L. planitia (Similoleptaena) (Rõõmusoks, 2004)
  • L. poulseni Kelly, 1967
  • L. praequalis Rozman, 1977
  • L. provellerosa (Havlicek & Storch, 1990)
  • L. purpurea Cocks, 1968
  • L. quadrata Bancroft, 1949
  • L. quadrilatera (Logan, 1863)
  • L. rara (Alekseeva and Erlanger, 1983)
  • L. reedi Cocks, 1968
  • L. rhomboidalis (Wahlanberg, 1818)
  • L. richmondensis Foerste, 1909
  • L. roomusoki Cocks, 2005
  • L. rugata (Lindström, 1861)
  • L. rugaurita (Havlicek, 1967)
  • L. rugosa (Dalman, 1828)
  • L. rugosides Oraspold, 1956
  • L. salopiensis (Williams, 1963)
  • L. semiradiata Sowerby, 1842
  • L. senecta Roomusoks, 2004
  • L. sperion Bassett, 1977
  • L. spumiferra (Kurnamea) (Opik, 1930)
  • L. strandi (Spjeldnaes, 1957)
  • L. tarwanpensis (Similoleptaena) (Rõõmusoks, 2004)
  • L. taxilla (Kurnamena) (Oraspold, 1965)
  • L. tenuissimestriata McCoy, 1852
  • L. tenuistrata Sowerby, 1839
  • L. tenuistriata (de Sowerby and Murchison, 1839)
  • L. trifidium (Leptaenopoma) (Marek and Havlíček, 1967)
  • L. trifidum (Marek and Havlíček, 1967)
  • L. undosa (Similoleptaena) (Rõõmusoks, 2004)
  • L. valentia (Cocks, 1968)
  • L. valida Bancroft, 1949
  • L. veldrensis Spjeldnaes, 1957
  • L. vellerosa Havlicek, 1967
  • L. ventricosa Williams, 1963
  • L. zeta Lamont, 1947
  • L. ziegleri Cocks, 1968
References

References

  1. Plaza-Torres, Stephanie; Darroch, Simon; Wagner, Peter. "Family tree of a mass extinction survivor: Phylogenetic analysis of the brachiopod genus Leptaena" (PDF). Smithsonian. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  2. Hoel, Ole (21 January 2014). "Palaeobiology of Silurian Leptaeninae (Brachiopoda) from Gotland, Sweden". Paleontology Journal. 2014: 1–14. doi:10.1155/2014/716053.
  3. Paleobiology Database
  4. Stigall, Alycia (3 December 2013). "Leptaena". Atlas of Ordovician Life. National Science Foundation. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  5. Global Biodiversity Information Facility
  6. "Fossilworks". Archived from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  7. Catalog of Life
  8. Gallagher, E. E.; Harper, D. A. T. (2024). "Silurian brachiopods from the Pentland Hills, Scotland". Monographs of the Palaeontographical Society. 177 (666): 1–69. doi:10.1080/02693445.2023.2307703.