Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 18, 2026

Halysites

Halysites is an extinct genus of tabulate coral. Colonies range from less than one to tens of centimeters in diameter, and they fed upon plankton.

Last revised
Jun 18, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
182 w
Citations
7
Source
Halysites
Temporal range:
Halysites sp. from the Silurian of Ohio; view of colony surface.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Subphylum: Anthozoa
Class: Tabulata
Family: Halysitidae
Genus: Halysites
von Waldheim 1813
Species
Thin-section view of Halysites corallum source ↗

Halysites (meaning chain coral) is an extinct genus of tabulate coral.1 Colonies range from less than one to tens of centimeters in diameter, and they fed upon plankton.2

These tabulate corals lived from the Ordovician to the Devonian (from 449.5 to 412.3 Ma). Fossils of Halysites species have been found in the sediments of North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.3

Species

Species in the genus Halysites include:3456

  • Halysites catenularia Linnaeus, 1767
  • Halysites encrustans Buehler
  • Halysites grandis Sharkova, 1981
  • Halysites infundibuliformis Buehler
  • Halysites junior Klaamann, 1961
  • Halysites louisvillensis Stumm
  • Halysites meandrina Troost
  • Halysites magnitubus Buehler
  • Halysites priscus Klaamann, 1966
  • Halysites regularis Fischer-Benzon, 1871
  • Halysites senior Klaamann, 1961
References

References

  1. Boardman, R.S. (1987). Fossil Invertebrates. Blackwell. p. 714.
  2. Feldman, R.M.; Hackathorn (1996). Fossils of Ohio. Ohio Division of Geological Survey Bulletin 70. pp. 577 [1].
  3. Paleobiology Database
  4. "Search Results - Halysites".
  5. Global Biodiversity Information Facility
  6. Mindat.org