Sphaeronitidae

Specimen of Codiacystis bohemica, photographed by Jan Vyhnánek.

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 1899 K67
    |    `--A. desiderata (Barrande 1887) [=Pyrocystites desideratus] K67
    |--Allocystites Miller 1889 [=Allocystis Bather 1900] K67
    |    `--*A. hammelli Miller 1889 [=*Allocystis hammelli] K67
    |--Paleosphaeronites Prokop 1964 K67
    |    `--*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 1939 K67
    |    `--*B. mirus Růžička 1939 K67
    |--Tholocystis Chauvel 1941 K67
    |    `--*T. kolihai Chauvel 1941 K67
    |--Barbieria Termier & Termier 1950 K67
    |    `--*B. stitensis Termier & Termier 1950 K67
    |--Proteocystites Barrande 1887 [=Proteocystis Bather 1889] K67
    |    |--*P. flavus Barrande 1887 [=*Proteocystis flavus] K67
    |    `--P. barrandenus K67
    |--Eucystis Angelin 1878 [incl. Palmacystis Haeckel 1896] K67
    |    |--*E. raripunctata Angelin 1878 K67
    |    |--E. acuminata K67
    |    |--E. angelini K67
    |    |--E. hercynica K67
    |    |--E. litchi K67
    |    |--‘*Palmacystis’ palmata Haeckel 1896 K67
    |    `--E. quadrangularis K67
    |--Haplosphaeronis Jaekel 1926 [incl. Pomocystis Haeckel 1895 (n. d.), Pomosphaera Haeckel 1896 (n. d.)] K67
    |    |--*H. kiaeri Jaekel 1926 K67
    |    |    |--H. k. kiaeri K67
    |    |    `--H. k. norvegica K67
    |    |--H. lobifera K67
    |    |--H. oblonga (Angelin 1878) [=Sphaeronis oblonga, *Pomosphaera oblonga] K67
    |    |--H. proiciens K67
    |    `--‘Sphaeronis’ uva Angelin 1878 [=*Pomocystis uva] K67
    |--Sphaeronites Hisinger 1828 [=Sphaeronis Angelin 1878] K67
    |    |--*S. pomum (Gyllenhaal 1772) [=Echinus pomum, *Sphaeronis pomum] K67
    |    |--S. dalecarlicus K67
    |    |--S. globulus K67
    |    |--S. pentactaeus K67
    |    |--S. punctatus K67
    |    |--S. pyriformis K67
    |    |--S. shihtiensis K67
    |    |--S. stelluliferus K67
    |    `--S. tesselatus K67
    `--Codiacystis Jaekel 1899 (see below for synonymy) 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. excavata K67
         |    `--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

Codiacystis Jaekel 1899 [=Craterina Barrande 1887 nec Curtis 1826 nec Bory de St Vincent 1827 nec Gruber 1884] K67

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

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