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Taxonomic revision of the Triassic brachiopod genus Angustothyris and its phylogenetic implications

Guo Z, Chen ZQ, Pálfy J, Carniti AP, Harper DA (2026)

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Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

DOI: 10.1017/jpa.2026.10231

Abstract

Angustothyrididae Dagys, 1972 is a key group of terebratulide brachiopods, because it exhibits characteristics bridging the two major suborders, Terebratulidina and Terebratellidina, and could represent an evolutionary link between them. However, the taxonomy of its type genus, Angustothyris Dagys, 1972, has remained poorly understood. Our restudy of specimens from the Middle Triassic of Hungary and southwestern China, including material from the type localities, reveals that the specimens previously assigned to Angustothyris actually represent multiple genera. This indicates that the diversity of this group has been underestimated, leading us to establish Balatonithyris new genus, Qianothyris new genus, and Angustothyris aszofoensis new species. The long teloform loop in Qianothyris n. gen. fills a morphological gap between short-looped terebratulidines and long-looped terebratellidines, supporting a Late Permian-Triassic origin of the terebratellidines from the Angustothyrididae. The morphological evidence, however, conflicts with molecular data that suggest an earlier divergence between the two suborders. This contradiction implies that either the Angustothyrididae is not the direct ancestor of terebratellidines, or that the terebratellidines are a polyphyletic group with multiple evolutionary origins. UUID: http://zoobank.org/b19352c0-8352-4bba-a0b1-a95963f3da38 Terebratulides, a major group of brachiopods in today s oceans, are divided into two main subgroups distinguished by the shape of the loop, an internal structure supporting the lophophore. The fossil family Angustothyrididae is particularly intriguing because it mixes features from both subgroups, potentially representing a link in their evolution. Our study of Triassic fossils from Hungary and China, previously classified under the genus Angustothyris, reveals that they actually belong to several different taxa, allowing establishment of two new genera and one new species. Furthermore, morphological evidence from fossils conflicts with the evolutionary timeline suggested by genetic studies of living terebratulides. This mismatch indicates that the current understanding of how these brachiopods evolved and are classified might need a significant revision.

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How to cite

APA:

Guo, Z., Chen, Z.Q., Pálfy, J., Carniti, A.P., & Harper, D.A. (2026). Taxonomic revision of the Triassic brachiopod genus Angustothyris and its phylogenetic implications. Journal of Paleontology. https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2026.10231

MLA:

Guo, Zhen, et al. "Taxonomic revision of the Triassic brachiopod genus Angustothyris and its phylogenetic implications." Journal of Paleontology (2026).

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