Minchinellidae

Minchinellidae is a family of calcareous sponges, members of the class Calcarea.[1] It is the only family in the monotypic order Lithonida. The families Petrobionidae (genus Petrobiona)[2] and Lepidoleuconidae (genus Lepidoleucon)[3] have also sometimes been placed within Lithonida, though more recently they have been moved to the order Baerida.[4] Thanks to their hypercalcified structure, minchinellids have a fossil record reaching as far back as the Jurassic Period.[3][4]

Minchinellidae
Temporal range:
Porosphaera globularis fossil from the Cretaceous of Germany
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Porifera
Class: Calcarea
Order: Lithonida
Vacelet, 1981
Family: Minchinellidae
Dendy & Row, 1913
Genera

see text.

Synonyms
  • Bactronellidae Laubenfels, 1955
  • Petrostomidae Laubenfels, 1936
  • Porosphaeridae Laubenfels, 1955

Description

Minchinellids are hypercalcified sponges. They have a robust skeleton of tetractine (four-rayed) calcareous spicules. The tetractine spicules are propeller-shaped, with three curved actines (rays) radiating perpendicular to a straight basal actine. These spicules may be linked by their basal actines or cemented together by calcite. The skeleton is reinforced with layers of loose diapason (tuning fork-shaped) spicules. Minchinellid sponges have a leuconoid canal system.[3][4]

List of genera
  • †Bactronella Hinde, 1884 [Jurassic–Miocene, Holocene?][3]
  • Minchinella Kirkpatrick, 1908 [Holocene]
  • Monoplectroninia Pouliquen & Vacelet, 1970 [Holocene]
  • †Muellerithalmia Reitner, 1987 [Upper Jurassic][3]
  • Petrostroma Döderlein, 1892 [Cretaceous–Holocene]
  • Plectroninia Hinde, 1900 [Jurassic?, Cretaceous–Holocene]
  • †Porosphaera Steinmann, 1878 [Cretaceous][3]
  • †Porosphaerella Welter, 1911 [Cretaceous][3]
  • †Retispinopora Brydone, 1912 [Cretaceous–Paleocene][3]
  • †Sagittularia Welter, 1911 [Cretaceous][3]
  • Tulearinia Vacelet, 1977 [Holocene]

References
  1. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Minchinellidae Dendy & Row, 1913". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  2. Vacelet, Jean; Borojevic, Radovan; Boury-Esnault, Nicole; Manuel, Michaël (2002), Hooper, John N. A.; Van Soest, Rob W. M.; Willenz, Philippe (eds.), "Order Lithonida Vacelet, 1981, Recent", Systema Porifera, Boston, MA: Springer US, pp. 1185–1192, doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-0747-5_121, ISBN 978-0-306-47260-2
  3. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology Part E, Revised. Porifera, Volume 3: Classes Demospongea, Hexactinellida, Heteractinida & Calcarea, xxxi + 872 p., 506 fig., 1 table, 2004, available here. ISBN 0-8137-3131-3.
  4. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology Part E, Revised. Porifera, Volumes 4 & 5: Hypercalcified Porifera, Paleozoic Stromatoporoidea & Archaeocyatha, liii + 1223 p., 665 figs., 2015, available here. ISBN 978-0-9903621-2-8.


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