Trilobita - Phacopida - Cheiruridae
Parent taxon: Cheiruridae according to T. Hansen 2005
See also Kielan-Jaworowska et al. 1991, Neuman and Bruton 1974, Nikolaisen 1961, Owen 1981 and Owen and Bruton 1980
Sister taxa: Acanthoparyphinae, Actinopeltis, Anasobella, Ancyginaspis, Arcticeraurinella, Areia, Areiaspis, Borealaspis, Bornholmaspis, Ceraurinium, Cerauromeros, Cerauropeltis, Ceraurus, Chacomurus, Cheirurinae, Cheirurus, Chiozoon, Contracheirurus, Crotalocephalides, Crotalocephalina, Crotalocephalus, Cyrtometopinae, Cyrtometopus, Deiphon, Didrepanon, Eccoptochilinae, Forteyops, Foulonia, Gabriceraurus, Hammannopyge, Hapsiceraurus, Heliomera, Heliomeroides, Hemisphaerocoryphe, Holia, Holotrachelus, Hyrokybe, Junggarella, Kawina, Kolymella, Krattaspis, Ktenoura, Laneites, Lehua, Onycopyge, Osekaspis, Parayoungia, Parisoceraurus, Pateraspis, Patomaspis, Pilekiinae, Placoparina, Pompeckia, Proromma, Protocerauroides, Pseudocheirurus, Radiurus, Ratinkaspis, Reraspis, Sphaerexochinae, Sphaexerochinae, Stubblefieldia, Sycophantia, Turantyx, Valongia, Whittakerites, Xylabion, Xystocrania, Youngia, Zazvorkaspis, Kinderlania
Subtaxa: Sphaerocoryphe
Ecology: fast-moving low-level epifaunal carnivore
Distribution:
• Silurian of Australia (1 collection), the United Kingdom (2)
• Uhaku of the Russian Federation (1), Sweden (1)
• Chazyan of Canada (3: Northwest Territories), United States (2: New York)
• Whiterockian of Canada (1: Quebec), United States (7: New York, Vermont)
• Ordovician of Australia (2), Belgium (1), Canada (17: Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Quebec), Ireland (4), Kazakhstan (2), the Netherlands (1), Norway (8), Sweden (18), the United Kingdom (28), United States (13: Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Virginia)
Total: 112 collections including 118 occurrences