Family FRITILLARIIDAE

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Introduction

The members of the family Fritillariidae Seeliger, 1895 (as amended by Lohmann, 1915) have dorsoventrally compressed or spindle-shaped trunks. The endostyle is curved upwards. The pharyngeal perforations (spiracles) are in the anterior part of the pharynx and each (with its ring of cilia) opens directly to the exterior, rather than through a tubular passage. The stomach wall consists of few large cells. The oikoplast epithelium lacks a row of conspicuous oikoplast cells (Fol's fibroblasts) dorsally, and ventrally is a small anterior area only.

The family is represented in Australian waters by seven species of Fritillaria and one of Tectillaria. It has been reviewed by Lohmann (1933) and Fenaux (1993) and its occurrence in Australian waters is documented by Thompson (1945).

General References

Fenaux, R. 1993. The classification of the Appendicularia (Tunicata): History and current state. Mémoires de l'Institut Océanographique, Monaco 17: i-vii, 1-123

Fol, H. 1872. Etudes sur les Appendiculaires du détroit de Messine. Mémoires de la Société de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Genève 21(2): 445-499 pls i-xi

Lohmann, H. 1933. Appendicularia. pp. 3-192 in Kükenthal, W. & Krumbach, T. (eds). Handbuch der Zoologie. Berlin : Walter de Gruyter Vol. 5(2).

Lohmann, H. & Bückmann, A. 1926. Die Appendicularien der Deutschen Südpolar-Expedition 1901 bis 1903. Ergebnisse der Deutschen Südpolar-Expedition 18(Zool. 10): 63-231

Quoy, J.R.C. & Gaimard, J.P. 1833. Zoologie, Zoophytes pp. 304–306. in, Voyage de découvertes de l'Astrolabe 1824–1829 Vol. 4. Paris : Pilet Ainé.

Seeliger, O. 1895. Appendicularien und Ascidien, Tunicata. Manteltiere. pp. 97-144 in Bronn, H.G. (ed.). Klassen und Ordnungen des Tier-Reichs. Leipzig : C.F. Winter Vol. 3 Suppl. 4–5.

Thompson, H. 1945. Pelagic Tunicates of Australia. Melbourne : Council for Scientific and Industrial Research 196 pp. 75 pls.

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