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The Ordovician acritarch genusBarakellaCramer & Díez 1977 and two species,B. felixandB. fortunata, bearing characteristic anastomosing filamentous elements at one pole were first described from the subsurface of the Kasba Tadla Basin, Morocco. Subsequently, another species was described from the South Chinese Ordovician and was later attributed to the genus asBarakella rara. New material from the type locality in Morocco and additional sections in South China are used for a review of the genusBarakella. Based on this review, including statistical analysis,Barakella rarais considered a junior synonym ofBarakella felix.Barakellais a useful taxon for biostratigraphical applications in the Ordovician. Its first appearance datum (FAD) lies in the early Floian (Early Ordovician, time slices 2a–2b) in both South China and Wales. Except for a doubtful record from Sweden, all records ofBarakellaare from the peri-Gondwana margin, making the genus an indicator of the peri-Gondwana palaeoprovince. The appearance ofBarakellain South China indicates thatBarakellapossibly originated in shallow-water nearshore environments, and later spread to offshore environments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]