Evolution Timeline

LIST OF GROUPS EVOLVED IN THE NEOEDIACARAN (0my - 50my) (in chronological order based on first appearance of group):

○ 0-10myh

• Micro tube sponges - Sponges with more branching structures, converged with sps coral growth formation.
• Upside down golden jellyfish - Golden jellyfish that live upside down in estuaries, morphologically very similar to their ancestors and to the real upside down jellyfish.
• Slingshot worms - nematodes that use their pharanx to filter feed ○ 10-20myh
• Wind dispersal mangroves - Mangrove trees with flowers adapted for wind dispersal instead of pollination and lesser developed seeds adapted more to survive in terrestrial habitats.
• Stabworms - Very diverse macroscopic Enoplan nemerteans
• Velcrocyte nemerteans - nemerteans with specialized cells
• Terror Anemone - Attracts prey with chemicals and ambushes it
• Joker zoanthid - A very fast growing zoa
• Walking Gorgonians - Gorgonians that have polyps on the ventral side of the colony and favor longer growth instead of branching growth. They walk on the sea floor with tentacles very slowly.
• Choanoflaggellate colonies - Large benthic and planktonic colonies of choanoflaggellates, later evolve to incorporate bad tastes and poisons to deter predators.
• Tabulate corraline algae - Calcified algae that grows in table coral-like structures, only living tissue on top side.
• Sponge-Eating Tardigrades - Parasites that specialize to eat individual cells of sponges, especially young colonies.
• Rugose zoanthids - Photosynthetic and non photosynthetic zoanthids with calcified skeletons on their undersides for protection.

○ 20-30myh

• Spongeroot - Intertidal kelp with primitive vascular system.
• Veinvermi - Slingshot worm descendants with calcified cuticles and a branched pharynx
• Blipworm - Pelagic stabworm descendants with two backbones (sort of).
• Gorgonophores - Pelagic descendants of Walking Gorgonians similar to siphonophores.
• Platytoda - Advanced clade of xenacoelomorphs.

○ 30-40myh

• Macrotifers - A large group of rotifers that grow through out their life and reach sizes above an inch. Descended from Bdelloid rotifers originally from river environments. Split into Motifers and Sessifers.
• Croissant Worms - Nemertean worms that develop a calcified shell.
• Golden hydra - neotenic golden jellyfish polyps.
• Calcified Gorgonians - Gorgonians with skeletons made of aragonite. Depending on species they can grow in branched patterns, flat wedged patterns, and palm leaf patterns.
• Dendrogorgonians - Typically non photosynthetic, completely soft branching corals with fewer and larger polyps.
• Ephyrozoans - Neotenic golden hydra ephyra that have become benthic scavengers and predators.
• Palm Zoanthid - Long stalked solitary zoa.
• Bristle tooth jelly - Jellies with baleen arms that stick out in front of the bell.
• Flapped Jellies - Golden jellyfish descendants that live in open waters and have flat broad shaped arms for more efficient sunlight absorption.
• Microjelly - small predatory jellyfish that lives near other larger jellies and eats their parasites.
• Lighthouse jellyfish - Flapped jellies with floating bells, toxic flesh, and varied zooxenthellae populations within their tissues.

○ 40-50myh

• Terrestrial Kelp - Macroalgae which have grown to the size of trees in colder environments.
• Leechroots and other terrestrial mangroves - Diversity of plants that are derived from wind dispersal mangroves. Make up 99% of terrestrial plant diversity.
• Limpacoelomorphs - Shelled xenacoelomorphs that live in aquatic and terrestrial environments.
• Advanced Motifers - Mostly marine, dominant nekton of Alluvius. Includes Sarcoptifers and Flapifers.
• Attachiferans - Loriciferans that attach to Motifer gills.
• Advanced Sessifers - Mostly marine, sessile reef builders with colonial and solitary varieties.
• Stepgrove - Low to the ground terrestrial mangrove which forms the steppe on Alluvius.

Groups affected by the NeoEdiacaran - Rhizophorean end extinction:

90% of Anoplan Nemerteans
90% of Calcified Gorgonians
50% of Dendogorgonians
80% of Rugose Zoanthids
100% of Walking Gorgonians
100% of Choanoflagellate Colonies
90% of Flapped Jellies and Lighthouse Jellies
50% of Palm Zoanthids
40% of Motifers (Toobifers, Anlylofers, Torpedoes, and Discifers were the most affected.)
20% of Attachiferans
10% of Sessifers
50% of Ephyrazoans
40% of Platytodes
40% of Clownworms
20% of Croissant Worms
100% of Gillworms
10% of Blipworms
20% of Veinvermi and Slingshot Worms
Coral Reefs suffered the most from tectonic plate shifts and climate change

LIST OF GROUPS EVOLVED IN THE RHIZOPHOREAN (50myh - ???) (In chronological order based on first appearance of group):

○ 50 - 60myh

• Fuzz Sponges - Sponges which rely on hydrothermal vents ans bacterial symbionts to survive
• Borbles - Benthic upside down jellyfish
• Eelifers - Long bodied benthic Motifers descended from Barrotifers
• Protoskelifers - Motifers with endoskeletons, mostly filter feeders.
• Zoracles - Zoanthids with skeletons adapted to attach to large organisms
• Drift Lilies - Sea Palms adapted to live on driftwood
• Tentacular Tortacle - Largest Tortacle species, possesses internal endoskeleton.
• Loboteans - Soft bodied Nemerteans with segmented legs, advanced eyes, and color changing capabilities.
• Arthroteans - Nemerteans with calcified leg segments.
• Reef building Clampifers - Clampifer groups adapted to tropical reef environments.

○ 60 - 70 myh

• Podifers and other reef stalker descendants - Large and fast predatory species of Sarcoptifer.
• Tracheaverms - Large Blipworm descendants with trachea and tentacles.
• Scootaceans - Terrestrial Nemaceans analogous to Earth isopods and ground beetles.
• Lurkifers - Amphibious and terrestrial snake-like Motifers descended from Eelifers.

○ 70 - 80 myh

• Kacti - Spongeroot descendants adapted for harsh dry environments.
• Inchifers - Terrestrial Lurkifers that fill a niche similar to arboreal frogs and insects. They possess a cartilage rod and inch-worm movement style.
• Amphibious Tracheaverms - Descendants of Freshwater Tracheaverms with water storing capabilities and simple limbs. AKA basal Tetraverms.
• Creepifers - Most abundant group on Alluvius. Fills roles similar to Earth insects with some exceptions.
• Centivermi - Tetraverms with many usually unspecialized pairs of legs. Many are arboreal or small and fossorial.

○ 80 - 90 myh

• Hexavermi - Tetraverms with six limbs. Capable of reaching terrestrial megafaunal sizes.