Celleporidae
Family of moss animals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Celleporidae is a family of bryozoans – colonial, aquatic, invertebrates – in the order Cheilostomatida. Structurally, they are defined by densely packed zooids (individual animals which make up the colony). The zooids usually have irregular direction, and are defined by morphological characteristics.[1] Masses of the dead animals can form shallow sediments.[2] Members of the family are recorded from every ocean, even around Antarctica, where they are represented primarily by the genus Osthimosia.[1][3] Fossils of the family exist as old as from 235 million years ago, during the Triassic period.[4]
| Celleporidae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cellepora pumicosa photographed at Sula Sgeir, Scotland | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Bryozoa |
| Class: | Gymnolaemata |
| Order: | Cheilostomatida |
| Suborder: | Flustrina |
| Superfamily: | Celleporoidea |
| Family: | Celleporidae Johnston, 1838 |
| Genera | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Torquatellidae Tilbrook, 2006 | |
Genera
- Buffonellaria
- Buskea
- Calvipelta
- Cellepora
- Celleporina
- Chasmatooecium
- Chasmazoon
- Galeopsis
- Lagenipora
- Omalosecosa
- Orthoporidroides
- Osthimosia
- Palmicellaria
- Pourtalesella
- Predanophora
- Pseudocelleporina
- Richbunea
- Scorpiodinipora
- Sinuporina
- Spigaleos
- Tegminula
- Turbicellepora
