Heliolites

Heliolites is a large and heterogenous^[1] genus of extinct tabulate corals in the family Heliolitidae.^[2] Specimens have been found in Ordovician^[3] to Devonian^[4] beds in North America,^[5] Europe,^[4] Africa,^[6] Asia,^[7] and Australia.^[3] The genus is particularly abundant in the Wellin Member of the Hanonet Formation of Belgium.^[8]

Heliolites Temporal range: Ordovician-Devonian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	†Tabulata
Order:	†Heliolitida
Family:	†Heliolitidae
Genus:	†Heliolites Dana, 1846

Members of the genus are distinguished by a prominent tubular coenenchyme (the tissue linking neighboring polyps) with 14–17 tubules around each corallite (the stony cup in which each polyp sits.)^[9]

References

1. Ospanova, Narima K. (2012). "Taxonomical problems of the Heliolitida". Geologica Belgica. 15 (4): 215–219. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
2. Young, Graham A.; Noble, James P. A. (January 1990). "Silurian Heliolitidae (Anthozoa, Tabulata) from the Chaleurs Bay region, Canada". Journal of Paleontology. 64 (1): 44–60. Bibcode:1990JPal...64...44Y. doi:10.1017/S0022336000042232. S2CID 132161964.
3. Wang, Guangxu; Percival, Ian G.; Zhen, Yong Yi (2 July 2020). "The youngest Ordovician (latest Katian) coral fauna from eastern Australia, in the uppermost Malachis Hill Formation of central New South Wales". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 44 (3): 356–378. doi:10.1080/03115518.2020.1747540. S2CID 225729356.
4. Hubmann, Bernhard; Suttner, Thomas (2007). "Siluro-Devonian Alpine reefs and pavements". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 275 (1): 95–107. Bibcode:2007GSLSP.275...95H. doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.2007.275.01.07. S2CID 129864709.
5. Dixon, Owen A. (November 1998). "Heliolitine corals of the topmost Douro and overlying formations (Upper Silurian), Canadian Arctic islands". Journal of Paleontology. 72 (6): 937–966. Bibcode:1998JPal...72..937D. doi:10.1017/S0022336000027335. S2CID 133139606.
6. Königshof, Peter; Kershaw, Steve (May 2006). "Growth forms and palaeoenvironmental interpretation of stromatoporoids in a Middle Devonian reef, southern Morocco (west Sahara)". Facies. 52 (2): 299–306. doi:10.1007/s10347-005-0041-1. S2CID 129867978.
7. Yue, Li; Kershaw, Stephen; Xu, Chen (January 2002). "Biotic structure and morphology of patch reefs from South China (Ningqiang Formation, Telychian, Llandovery, Silurian)". Facies. 46 (1): 133–148. doi:10.1007/BF02668078. S2CID 129764359.
8. Król, Jan J.; Denayer, Julien; Wolniewicz, Paweł; Zapalski, Mikołaj K. (10 May 2021). "Heliolitid corals and their competitors: a case study from the Wellin patch reefs, Middle Devonian, Belgium". Lethaia. 54 (4): 540–557. doi:10.1111/let.12421. S2CID 236542393.
9. Wang, G.; Percival, I.G.; Zhen, Y.Y.; Webby, B.D. (2021). "Late Ordovician Corals from Allochthonous Clasts in the Devonian Drik-Drik Formation of Northeastern New South Wales, Australia". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 143: 74.