Phylum Echinodermata, Class Blastoidea

Mississippian.  The Blastoidea is an extinct taxon of echinoderms. Originating in the Ordovician along with many other echinoderm classes, they reached their greatest diversity in the Mississippian, and persisted until the end of Permian. Like crinoids, blastoids were high-level stalked suspension feeders, filtering food particles out of the water column.
Abstract/Description: Mississippian. The Blastoidea is an extinct taxon of echinoderms. Originating in the Ordovician along with many other echinoderm classes, they reached their greatest diversity in the Mississippian, and persisted until the end of Permian. Like crinoids, blastoids were high-level stalked suspension feeders, filtering food particles out of the water column.
Subject(s): Treese, KS, United States
environmental sciences