Sphaeronitidae

Belongs within: Diploporita.

The Sphaeronitidae are a group of Lower Ordovician to Lower Devonian cystoids with short ambulacra branching directly from the corners of the mouth.

Characters (from Kesling 1967): Theca typically spherical to ovoid. Ambulacra short, commonly preserved as grooves in thecal plates of oral region, branching directly (fan-wise) from corners of mouth; several brachioles in each ambulacral group. Anal pyramid well developed. Column small or absent.

<==Sphaeronitidae [Sphaeronidae]
    |--Archegocystis Jaekel 1899K67
    |    `--A. desiderata (Barrande 1887) [=Pyrocystites desideratus]K67
    |--Allocystites Miller 1889 [=Allocystis Bather 1900]K67
    |    `--*A. hammelli Miller 1889 [=*Allocystis hammelli]K67
    |--Paleosphaeronites Prokop 1964K67
    |    `--*P. crateriformis (Růžička 1927) [=Sphaeronites crateriformis; incl. S. batheri Růžička 1927]K67
    |--Carpocystites Oehlert 1887 [=Carpocystis Bather 1889]K67
    |    `--*C. soyei Oehlert 1887 [=*Carpocystis soyei]K67
    |--Bulbocystis Růžička 1939K67
    |    `--*B. mirus Růžička 1939K67
    |--Tholocystis Chauvel 1941K67
    |    `--*T. kolihai Chauvel 1941K67
    |--Barbieria Termier & Termier 1950K67
    |    `--*B. stitensis Termier & Termier 1950K67
    |--Proteocystites Barrande 1887 [=Proteocystis Bather 1889]K67
    |    |--*P. flavus Barrande 1887 [=*Proteocystis flavus]K67
    |    `--P. barrandenusK67
    |--Haplosphaeronis Jaekel 1926 [incl. Pomocystis Haeckel 1895 (n. d.), Pomosphaera Haeckel 1896 (n. d.)]K67
    |    |--*H. kiaeri Jaekel 1926K67
    |    |    |--H. k. kiaeriK67
    |    |    `--H. k. norvegicaK67
    |    |--H. lobiferaK67
    |    |--H. oblonga (Angelin 1878) [=Sphaeronis oblonga, *Pomosphaera oblonga]K67
    |    |--H. proiciensK67
    |    `--‘Sphaeronis’ uva Angelin 1878 [=*Pomocystis uva]K67
    |--Eucystis Angelin 1878 [incl. Palmacystis Haeckel 1896]K67
    |    |--*E. raripunctata Angelin 1878K67
    |    |--E. acuminataK67
    |    |--E. angeliniK67
    |    |--E. flavus (Barrande 1887)SG93
    |    |--E. hercynicaK67
    |    |--E. litchiK67
    |    |--‘*Palmacystis’ palmata Haeckel 1896K67
    |    `--E. quadrangularisK67
    |--Sphaeronites Hisinger 1828 [=Sphaeronis Angelin 1878]K67
    |    |--*S. pomum (Gyllenhaal 1772) [=Echinus pomum, *Sphaeronis pomum]K67
    |    |--S. dalecarlicusK67
    |    |--S. globulusK67
    |    |--S. minor Paul & Bockelie 1983SG93
    |    |--S. pentactaeusK67
    |    |--S. punctatusK67
    |    |--S. pyriformisK67
    |    |--S. shihtiensisK67
    |    |--S. stelluliferusK67
    |    `--S. tesselatusK67
    `--Codiacystis Jaekel 1899 [=Craterina Barrande 1887 nec Curtis 1826 nec Bory de St Vincent 1827 nec Gruber 1884]K67
         |--*C. bohemica (Barrande 1887) [=*Craterina bohemica]K67
         |--C. absens [=Craterina absens]K67
         |--C. applanata [=Craterina applanata]K67
         |--C. consobrina [=Craterina consobrina]K67
         |--C. docens [=Craterina docens]K67
         |--C. embryo [=Craterina embryo]K67
         |--C. excavata [=Craterina excavata]K67
         |    |--C. e. excavataK67
         |    `--C. e. intermedia [=Craterina excavata intermedia]K67
         |--C. idealis [=Craterina idealis]K67
         |--C. infundibulum [=Craterina infundibulum]K67
         |--C. modica [=Craterina modica]K67
         |--C. oneta [=Craterina oneta]K67
         |--C. potens [=Aristocystites potens]K67
         |--C. sculpta [=Aristocystites sculptus]K67
         |--C. simulans [=Craterina simulans]K67
         |--C. surgens [=Craterina surgens]K67
         `--C. tecta [=Craterina tecta]K67

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[K67] Kesling, R. V. 1967. Cystoids. In: Moore, R. C. (ed.) Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology pt S. Echinodermata 1. General characters. Homalozoa—Crinozoa (except Crinoidea) vol. 1 pp. S85–S267. The Geological Society of America, Inc., and The University of Kansas: Lawrence (Kansas).

[SG93] Simms, M. J., A. S. Gale, P. Gilliland, E. P. F. Rose & G. D. Sevastopulo. 1993. Echinodermata. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 491–528. Chapman & Hall: London.