Berbalena

Berbalena is an extinct infraorder of Monoparad scyphers that were once widespread on Berba and Tregonia around 85-65 million years ago (Mya) when they were joined in a single landmass, Tregoberbia, that was a seperate from the main continent.

For unknown reasons, berbalenes declined after an initial radiation of species. By the time Berba had collided with Mercaus 60 Mya, and terfilene scypers spread to Berba (but not the now-separated Tregonian landmass), the berbalenes were already extinct, ruling out competition with Terfilena. Some authors argue that sampling-bias accounts for the observed time gap, since data from newly discovered fossil beds seems to suggest that they were contemporaneous, and that berbalenes did indeed become extinct due to competition from terfilenes once the latter arrived on Berba.

Several partial and complete fossils are known from the Berb Peninsula and Tregonia. Some better preserved specimens such as a complete Occitrescyph maritimis specimen from southwestern Tregonia preserve soft tissues, including a long scyphic apparatus.