Evolution & Systematics

T. alexandri belongs to the order Camarodonta, a highly diverse monophyletic group; however, Temnopleuridae, the family T. alexandri belongs to, has been classified as paraphyletic (Smith 1988). As the species within Camarodonta are hard to distinguish solely on the test characteristics, it has been hard to map them in the fossil record (Smith1988). Smith (1988) concluded that the divergence of genera within Temnoplueridae is relatively recent compared to other families within the Camarodonts.

Phylogenetic tree of phylum Echinodermata adapted from WoRMS taxon tree <http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=browser&id=148744&expand=false#ct>