A possible archaic precursor of the octocoral structural plan from the Estonian Ordovician

A new species and genus Lindaplylon solovjevi gen. et sp. nov. of colonial octocorals from the Upper Ordovician of Estonia with a sclerite cortex skeleton with solenia network around axial rod is described. It agrees with much of the modern octocoral structural plan, except that it has a twelve-fold corallite symmetry (twelve septa). Based on these features of the new octocoral, a new family Lindaphylonidae fam. nov. and a new order Lindaphylonaceae, order novum are based. The comparison of the skeleton formation and mesenteric apparatus symmetry in different groups of coral polyps are considered in detail., , , # Data from: A possible archaic precursor of the octocoral structural plan from the Estonian Ordovician

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j3tx95xpw](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.j3tx95xpw)

## Description of the data and file structure

Tomographic data showing the internal skeletal structure of a colonial fossil coral from the Ordovician of Estonia, indicating it as a possible precursor to the structural plan of modern octocorals

### Files and variables

octocoral___spr.png = cross section of specimen PIN5886/2 (Borisiak Paleontological Institute Russian Academy of Sciences), obtained on the basis of 1060 projection using Neoscan 80 (Belgium) and reconstruction program, Neoscan Software Version 2.2.5. More detailed relevant settings are given below in the explanations of digital sections files octocorall00000352.png–octocorall00008096.png

octocoral_visual.png = image of coral location in a NeoScan 80 scanning microtomograph chamber

octocorall00000352.png–octocorall00008096.png = dig...,