Cephalodiscus

invertebrate genus

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Last updated

June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

Cephalodiscus is a genus of colonial marine invertebrates belonging to the Pterobranchia. These animals live in a common gelatinous tube or test, with individual zooids inhabiting this structure. The term Cephalodiscus originates from New Latin, combining "cephal-" and "-discus".1

It is important to note that Cephalodiscus is distinct from cephalopods, which are exclusively marine animals like squid and octopuses.2

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pterobranch
Two of them, Rhabdopleura and Cephalodiscus, live in secreted tubes, organized into a colonial structure called a coenecium. The third genus, Atubaria, lives on hydroids. All three genera are rare. About 21 species have been described.
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Two of them, Rhabdopleura and Cephalodiscus, live in secreted tubes, organized into a colonial structure called a coenecium. The third genus, Atubaria, lives on hydroids. All three genera are rare. About 21 species have been described.
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skeleton
Crystals
>Cephalodiscus. Some graptolites, known only from fossil skeletal remains many millions of years old, had skeletons similar to those of Rhabdopleura.
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>Cephalodiscus. Some graptolites, known only from fossil skeletal remains many millions of years old, had skeletons similar to those of Rhabdopleura.
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