An extinct family of coral-like organisms with cup-shaped bodies and leaf-like internal structures, important fossils from the Paleozoic era.
Combines Greek kyathos (cup) with phyllon (leaf) and -idae (biological family suffix), describing organisms with cup bodies and leafy internal ridges, named in the 19th century.
These ancient cup-corals were so strange that paleontologists couldn't figure out if they were corals, sponges, or something completely different—they're one of the biggest fossil mysteries because they're only partially preserved as molds and casts!
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