Lingula (brachiopod)

Lingula; Temporal range:
	Lingula anatina, shell (top), full habitus (bottom)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Brachiopoda
Class:	Lingulata
Order:	Lingulida
Family:	Lingulidae
Genus:	Lingula; Bruguière, 1791
Type species
	Lingula anatina; Lamarck, 1801
Species
	L. adamsi Dall, 1873 ; L. anatina Lamarck, 1801 = L. affinis, L. hirundo, L. lepidula, L. murphiana, L. nipponica, L. smaragdina, L. unguis, Tertiary to recent ; L. dregeri Andreae, 1893 ; L. eocenica Moroz & Ermokhyna, 1990, Lower Eocene ; L. parva Smith, 1871 ; L. reevii Davidson, 1880 = L. ovalis ; L. rostrum (Shaw, 1798) = Mytilus rostrum, L. bancrofti, L. exusta, L. hians, L. jaspidea, Lower Pliocene to recent ; L. tenuis Sowerby, 1812 ; L. translucida Dall, 1921 ; L. tumidula Reeve, 1841 = L. compressa ; L. waikatoensis Pen, 1930 ;
Synonyms
	Ligula, Ligularius, Lingularius, Pharetra

Lingula is a genus of brachiopods within the class Lingulata. Lingula or forms very close in appearance have existed possibly since the Cambrian, however unquestionable members of the genus are only known from the Cenozoic. Like its relatives, it has two unadorned organo-phosphatic valves and a long fleshy stalk. Lingula lives in burrows in barren sandy coastal seafloor and feeds by filtering detritus from the water. It can be detected by a short row of three openings through which it takes in water (sides) and expels it again (middle).