Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 2, 2026

Orthidae

The Orthidae are a family of brachiopods that belong in the order Orthida. They range from the Early Ordovician to the Early Devonian. This family includes the genus Orthis, which is the namesake of this family, as well as the order Orthida.

Last revised
Jul 2, 2026
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≈ 1 min
Length
217 w
Citations
5
Source
Orthidae
Temporal range:
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Brachiopoda
Class: Rhynchonellata
Order: Orthida
Suborder: Orthidina
Superfamily: Orthoidea
Family: Orthidae
Woodward, 1852
Genera

See text

The Orthidae are a family of brachiopods that belong in the order Orthida. They range from the Early Ordovician to the Early Devonian. This family includes the genus Orthis, which is the namesake of this family, as well as the order Orthida.

Fossil record

Originated in the Early Ordovician, the Orthids sported high diversity throughout the Ordovician period. In the Early Silurian, their abundance noticeably dropped, but they slowly recovered until their demise at the end of the Lochkovian of the Early Devonian.1

Orthids are known from many regions, including North America, Russia, China, Europe, Australia, and South America. Some genera, such as Paralenorthis, show cosmopolitan distribution.2

Genera

The family consists of the following genera:1

  • Almadenorthis2
  • Diochthofera
  • Gutiorthis2
  • Orthambonites
  • Orthis
  • Orthokopis
  • Orthostrophella
  • Orthostrophia
  • Paralenorthis
  • Sinorthis
  • Sivorthis
  • Sulcatorthis
  • Sulevorthis
  • Taphrorthis
  • Trondorthis
References

References

  1. Williams, Alwyn; Brunton, C.H.C.; Carlson, S.J.; et al. (1997–2007). Kaesler, Roger L.; Selden, Paul (eds.). Part H, Brachiopoda (Revised). Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Boulder, Colorado; Lawrence, Kansas: Geological Society of America; University of Kansas.
  2. Reyes-Abril, Jaime; Villas, Enrique; Carlos Gutiérrez-Marco, Juan (2010). "Orthid Brachiopods from the Middle Ordovician of the Central Iberian Zone, Spain". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 55 (2): 285–308. doi:10.4202/app.2009.0032. hdl:10261/30627. ISSN 0567-7920.