Brachiopoda

A delicate, ciliated curtain-like organ used for filter-feeding, which defines the group.

Known as lamp shells due to their resemblance to Roman oil lamps. brachiopoda

Only ~5% of all known brachiopod species are alive today. The Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology (Part H) is

The Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology (Part H) is the primary reference. If you'd like to refine this further, let me know: Classification and Key Subphyla Are you focusing more

Features a body that takes up less space inside the shell than a bivalve, with a complex lophophore filling most of the space. III. Classification and Key Subphyla

Are you focusing more on their or their use as fossils ? I can expand any of these sections with more specific data. Brachiopods: They're Not Clams

While considered a "minor" phylum today, they were dominant in Paleozoic marine ecosystems and are invaluable as index fossils .