Coccolithophyceae - Prymnesiophycidae - Prymnesiophycidae
Parent taxon: Prymnesiophyceae according to J.R Young and P. R. Bown 1997
Sister taxa: Athenagalea, Biantholithus, Braarudosphaerales, Ceratolithaceae, Coccolithales, Daktylethra, Discoasterales, Ellipsagelosphaeraceae, Ellipsolithus, Gladiolithus, Ilselithina, Isochrysidales, Lanternithus, Minylitha, Neosphaera, Pedinocyclus, Phaeocystales, Prymnesiales, Rhomboasteraceae, Tetralithoides, Transversopontis, Zygodiscales, Tetralithus, Stephanolithiales, Watznaueriales, Syracosphaerales, Podorhabdales, Lapideacassaceae, Sphenolithus, Eiffellithales, Eodiscoaster, Cyclicargolithus, Goniolithaceae, Discoasteroides, Arkhangelskiales, Calyptrosphaeraceae
Subtaxa: Braarudosphaeraceae Centosphaera Ceratolithina Ceratolithoides Chiphragmalithus Coccolithites Coccolithus Cricolithus Cruciplacolithus Discoaster Eoconusphaeraceae Haqius Kokia Liliasterites Markalius Marthasterites Microrhabdulaceae Nannoconaceae Neochiastozygus Orthogonoides Pontosphaera Prinsiosphaera Prolatipatella Repagulum Rhabdolithus Schizosphaerellaceae Tortolithus Triquetrorhabdulus Watkinsia Zygolithus Zygrhablithus
Ecology: passively mobile planktonic "photoautotroph"
Distribution:
• Quaternary of Ireland (1 collection), Italy (2)
• Pliocene of Ecuador (1), Italy (1)
• Miocene to Pliocene of Chile (1)
• Miocene of Azerbaijan (2), Ecuador (2), France (1), Greece (1), India (1), Indonesia (1), Italy (2), Micronesia (7), Slovakia (4), Slovenia (1), Taiwan (1), Tanzania (1), United States (1: California)
• Oligocene of Costa Rica (1), Germany (2), United States (1: Virginia)
• Eocene of Azerbaijan (1), Jordan (1), Namibia (1), Peru (1), Tonga (1), Ukraine (7), the United Kingdom (1), United States (5: California, Georgia)
• Paleocene to Oligocene of Argentina (1)
• Paleocene of Argentina (14), Denmark (1), Tanzania (1), United States (4: Missouri, South Carolina)
• Cretaceous of Argentina (21), Austria (1), Canada (3: Alberta), France (1), Germany (2), Israel (1), Italy (1), Slovakia (2), South Atlantic (1), Spain (26), Tanzania (6), United States (8: Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi)
• Jurassic of Austria (4), Germany (7), Morocco (19), Saudi Arabia (2), Spain (121)
Total: 300 collections including 661 occurrences