Thecosmiliidae

Duncan, 1884, p. 80

Synonyms

• Clausastreidae Alloiteau, 1952
• Isastreidae Alloiteau, 1952
• Isastreidae Solomko, 1888, p. 165
• Montlivaltiidae Dietrich, 1926
• Montlivaltiidae Felix, 1900

Diagnosis

Solitary and colonial. Colony formation by various plans of complete and incomplete intratentacular budding. Where budding is incomplete, centers are linked by lamellae. Corallite wall septothecal or parathecal. Costosepta compact, bicuneiform, mostly free, sometimes anastomosing. Their distal edge has trifid or pyramidal teeth, diamond shaped in section. Septal flanks have vertical or arched carinae. Inner edges of larger septa are rhopaloid. Distance between centers of trabeculae range between 150 and 1300 µm. Branching trabeculae produce two or more lateral axes that are projected in a plan including the trabecular axis and perpendicular to the septal plan. No synapticulae, no fulturae, columella usually absent; when present parietal or lamellar. Endotheca abundant. Exotheca in some colonial forms.

Remarks

The genus Thecosmilia MILNE EDWARDS and HAIME, 1848, is characterized by skeletal structures of the so-called “montlivaltiid” type. Therefore, it has been grouped with the family Montlivaltiidae Dietrich, 1926, by the vast majority of authors interested in this group. However, it has been generally overlooked that Duncan (1884, p. 80) and, later, SOLOMKO (1888, p. 140) already used the montlivaltiid genus Thecosmilia MILNE EDWARDS and HAIME as the nominate taxon of the “Tribus Thecosmilioida”, clearly indicating in her work that Solomko (1888) referred to it as a family-level group. Furthermore, the family Thecosmiliidae has been used after 1899 by some authors as a valid name (e.g., WELLS, 1933, p. 172; KRASNOV, 1970, p. 30). Therefore, Thecosmiliidae, represents the oldest available scleractinian family that combines genera having montlivaltiid skeletal structures, and consequently includes the families Andemantastraeidae, Clausastreidae, Montlivaltiidae, and Isastraeidae (established at the family-level of Tribe Isastraeoida in SOLOMKO, 1888, p. 165) [=Isastraeidae KOBY, 1889;=Isastraeidae ALLOITEAU, 1952].

Contains

• Amblophyllia Orbigny, 1849, p.8
• Carcicocaenia Alloiteau, 1953, p. 883
• Clausastrea Orbigny, 1849, p. 9
• Complexastraeopsis Morycowa, 1974, p. 468
• Complexastrea Orbigny, 1849, p. 10
• Confusastrea D'Orbigny 1849, p. 10
• Cyathophylliopsis Beauvais, 1970, p.54
• Dimorphocoenia Fromentel, 1857, p. 55
• Dimorphocoeniopsis Zlatarski, 1967, p. 1317
• Diplogyra Eguchi, 1936, p. 70
• Goldfussastrea Beauvais, 1964, p. 170
• Gonioseris Duncan, 1872, p. 21
• Isastrea Milne Edwards and Haime, 1851: p. 102
• Kobyphyllia Baron-Szabo, 1997
• Lasmosmilia Orbigny, 1849, vol. 2, p. 203
• Latiphyllia Fromentel, 1861, p. 164
• Lobophyllum Quenstedt, 1880, p. 660
• Meandrastrea Orbigny, 1849, p. 10
• Microphyllastraea Alloiteau, 1955, p.676
• Montlivaltia Lamouroux, 1821, p. 78
• Paraclausastrea Zlatarski, 1968
• Paraphyllogyra Beauvais, 1970, p. 1117
• Phyllogyra Tomes, 1882, p. 430
• Plesiomontlivaltia Alloiteau, 1957, p. 114
• Silingastraea Liao, 1982, p. 173
• Stereophyllia Alloiteau, 1952, p. 611
• Thecomeandra Eliášová, 1973, p.71
• Thecosmilia Milne Edwards, 1848, p. 468
• Thecosmiliopsis Lebanidze, 1991, p.23
• Trochophyllia Alloiteau, 1952, p. 611

This page has been in preparation since 09-Jun-2016 17:34

This version was contributed by Rosemarie Baron-Szabo on 27-May-2017 22:12.

Page authors are: Rosemarie Baron-Szabo. Please contact the editor if you would like to contribute to the diagnosis of this taxon.

The editor is: Rosemarie Baron-Szabo