These are single celled organisms with well defined organelles, such as the nucleus, living singly or in colonies. The kingdom includes some ten phyla, several of which lack a good fossil record. These phyla, like those of the Procaryota Kingdom, include animals which are mostly microscopic. One phylum, the Protozoa, includes larger, macroscopic organisms, which have considerable importance as index fossils. |
|
| Phylum PROTOZOA | |
| Class SARCODINA | |
| Order FORAMINIFERA | Within the Foraminifera, two groups, the fusulinids and the nummulites, have been important geologically. |
| Family
FUSULINIDAE
|
 The
tests (shells) of fusulinids are small (up to 1 cm). They are
football shaped and resemble fossilized grains of wheat or rice.
They are particularly useful as index fossils of the Late Paleozoic,
and became extinct at the end of this era. |
| THE
NUMMULITES (several families) |
  These
are the largest of all foraminifera and some have tests (shells) the
size of dinner plates. Their tests are generally discoidal
(disk-shaped, vaguely like a coin). Taxonomically, they belong
to several families. They are important for the zonation of
the Late Mesozoic and the Cenozoic. They are a common fossil in the
limestones of Florida. |
| Order RADIOLARIA | Radiolarians are microscopic in size and many species are planktonic (free moving near the surface) Their remains settle to the ocean floor to make deep sea oozes. |
Information provided by: http://inst.santafe.cc.fl.us