Family FRONDIPORIDAE Busk, 1875

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Family FRONDIPORIDAE Busk, 1875

Compiler and date details

July 2001 - Dr Philip Bock

Introduction

The family Frondiporidae was introduced by Busk (1875) for Fasciculipora d'Orbigny (1847) and Frondipora Link (1807). The morphology of both genera was studied in detail by Borg (1926) who referred Fasciculipora to Fascigeridae d'Orbigny (1853). Bassler (1953) regarded the latter as invalid, and Walter (1969) introduced in its place the new family Fasciculiporidae. Frondipora has a Mediterranean type species, and the genus is perhaps limited to the northern hemisphere. Fasciculipora ramosa d'Orbigny (1842), the type species, was described from the Falkland Isles, and numerous additional species of Fasciculipora have been described from the southern hemisphere. Filifascigera d'Orbigny (1853) is founded on a Cretaceous fossil from Europe, but Recent species were described from the Philippines by Canu & Bassler (1929), and from California by Osburn (1953). These require taxonomic reappraisal.

Colonies of Frondiporidae may develop massive mounds or, in Filifascigera, encrusting, ramifying lobes giving rise to erect shoots, but are most often shortly stalked, with an erect, dichotomously branching, three-dimensional form. Autozooids are extremely elongate and gathered in closely fused bundles, the orifices opening at the branch ends. Gonozooids are situated at the axils of dichotomies, on the inner surfaces of the colony; they are slightly swollen and very elongate, generally dividing into lobes and passing along each ramus of the dichotomy; the ooeciostome is larger than a zooid aperture and transversely oval. Borg (1944) redescribed F. ramosa d'Orbigny; a number of species of Fasciculipora were described from Victoria by MacGillivray (1884, 1891) but none has received subsequent study by taxonomists.

The earliest known fossil frondiporid is from the Middle Jurassic of England.

Diagnosis

Colony heavily calcified, encrusting and massive, or lobed, giving rise to erect, dichotomous branches. Autozooid peristomes elongated, fused into bundles which open at the branch ends. Gonozooids in the axils between branches. They are elongated, forming a lobe which runs along each arm of a dichotomy. Ooeciostome. transversely oval, larger than an autozooid orifice.