Coccolithophyceae - Syracosphaerales
Parent taxon: Prymnesiophyceae according to J. R. Young et al. 2003
Sister taxa: Athenagalea, Biantholithus, Braarudosphaerales, Ceratolithaceae, Coccolithales, Daktylethra, Discoasterales, Ellipsagelosphaeraceae, Ellipsolithus, Gladiolithus, Ilselithina, Isochrysidales, Lanternithus, Minylitha, Neosphaera, Pedinocyclus, Phaeocystales, Prymnesiales, Rhomboasteraceae, Tetralithoides, Transversopontis, Zygodiscales, Prymnesiophycidae, Podorhabdales, Goniolithaceae, Sphenolithus, Lapideacassaceae, Tetralithus, Watznaueriales, Calyptrosphaeraceae, Discoasteroides, Stephanolithiales, Eiffellithales, Cyclicargolithus, Eodiscoaster, Arkhangelskiales
Subtaxa: Calciosoleniaceae Rhabdosphaeraceae Syracosphaeraceae Umbellosphaeraceae
Ecology: passively mobile planktonic "photoautotroph"
Distribution:
• Quaternary of Italy (2 collections)
• Pliocene of Italy (1)
• Miocene of Azerbaijan (1)
• Eocene of Jordan (1), Ukraine (4), the United Kingdom (1), United States (4: California, Georgia)
• Paleocene of Tanzania (1)
Total: 15 collections including 43 occurrences