Dendrinidae Bromley, Wisshak, Glaub & Botquelen, 2007

Wisshak, Max, 2017, Taming an ichnotaxonomical Pandora’s box: revision of dendritic and rosetted microborings (ichnofamily: Dendrinidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 390, pp. 1-99 : 13

Dendrinidae Bromley, Wisshak, Glaub & Botquelen, 2007

Type ichnogenus

Dendrina Quenstedt, 1849 by subsequent designation (herein).

Original diagnosis

Microborings having a rosetted or incompletely rosetted (i.e., fan-shaped) morphology, with or without a central or marginal main chamber.

Included ichnogenera

Dendrina Quenstedt, 1849 ; Clionolithes Clarke, 1908 ; Calcideletrix Mägdefrau, 1937 ; Dictyoporus Mägdefrau, 1937 ; Abeliella Mägdefrau, 1937 ; Nododendrina Vogel et al., 1987 ; Pyrodendrina Tapanila, 2008; Rhopalondendrina igen. nov. and Antodendrina igen. nov.

Remarks

Bromley et al. (2007) established the ichnofamily Dendrinidae by providing an ichnofamily diagnosis and a list of included ichnogenera. A type ichnogenus, however, was not specified, albeit implied by the chosen family-group name. In order to fulfil the requirements of the Code ( ICZN 1999: Art. 29 and 63), the oldest and eponymous ichnogenus Dendrina Quenstedt, 1849 , is herein specified as type ichnogenus.

Confinement of the morphological range addressed by the dendrinids is given by the lack of cameration (separating it from Entobia ), the lack of sack-shaped components (separating it from Saccomorpha and Rhopalia ), and the common presence of anastomoses (distinguishing it from Rhopalia and Fascichnus ). The closest morphological overlap concerns the entobians Entobia megastoma (Fischer, 1868) and E. dendritica Pleydell & Jones, 1988 , which are both only vaguely camerate and have a dendritic branching pattern similar to that of Clionolithes , but are much larger. Since the entobians, and possibly some of the ichnospecies of Clionolithes , are produced by excavating sponges, they partly share the feature of a cuspate microtexture produced by individual etching cells.