Family CORYMBOPORIDAE Smitt, 1866

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Introduction

Smitt (1867) introduced this family for three living species, two of which he assigned to the Cretaceous genera Corymbopora Michelin and Defrancia Bronn. The third, Coronopora truncata (Fleming), which was incorrectly synonymised with Domopora stellata (Goldfuss), another Cretaceous species (Voigt 1975), is now generally regarded as belonging to the Lichenoporidae. Borg (1944) maintained the family, albeit doubtfully, in describing three new species, one each assigned to Domopora and Defrancia, and the third to his new genus Dartevellia. Brood (1972) introduced Infundibulipora gen.nov. (type species Defrancia lucernaria Sars) for Cainozoic and Recent species assigned to Defrancia. The taxonomy of Recent species of this family is thus completely disordered and in urgent need of review.

Living species assigned to this family have pedunculate, clavate to discoid colonies, sometimes with short clavate branches around the capitulum. Zooid growth is confined to apices of the colony; the stems are porous. Zooids may be in loose fascicles, or partly separate, with the apertures in indistinct rows. The gonozooid is situated on the top surface of the colony, between zooid fascicles. Domopora antarctica Borg, which should probably be referred to Coronopora, and Defrancia sarsi Borg (=? Infundulipora) are endemic Antarctic species.

The earliest recorded fossil corymboporid is from the Middle Cretaceous of Germany (Taylor 1993).

Database Notes

Introduction by P.J. Hayward

Diagnosis

Colony well calcified, pedunculate, or discoid. Zooids in loose fascicles. Gonozooid on the upper surface, between the zooid fascicles.

General References

Borg, F. 1944. The stenolaematous Bryozoa. Further Zoological Results of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition, 1901-1903 3(5): 1-276

Brood, K. 1972. Cyclostomatous Bryozoa from the Upper Cretaceous and Danian in Scandinavia. Stockholm Contributions in Geology 26: 1-464

Smitt, F.A. 1867. Kritisk förteckning öfver Skandinaviens Hafs-Bryozoer. II. Öfversigt af Kongelige Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar, Stockholm 23: 395-534

Taylor, P.D. 1993. Bryozoa. pp. 465-489 in Benton, M.J. (ed.). The Fossil Record 2. London & New York : Chapman & Hall 845 pp.

Voigt, E. 1975. Ist Domopora stellata (Goldfuss, 1862) (Bryoz. Cyclos.) = Coronopora truncata (Fleming, 1828) ein lebendes Fossil aus der Oberkreide? Zoologischer Anzeiger 195: 186-200

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