Dendrophylliidae Gray, 1847

Baron-Szabo, Rosemarie C., 2008, Dendrophylliina, Caryophylliina, Fungiina, Microsolenina, and Stylinina, Zootaxa 1952, pp. 1-244 : 31

Family Dendrophylliidae Gray, 1847

Diagnosis. Solitary and colonial. Colony formation by intra- and extratentacular budding. Wall formed by trabecular outer ends of septa and simple but very irregular synapticulae, irregularly porous, usually thick, irregularly costate or covered by interrupted costae or irregularly scattered granulations, occasionally epithecate. Porous, layered coenenchyme developed in some colonial genera. Septa composed of one fan system of simple trabeculae, but the trabeculae tend to be very irregular in development, often not closely united in the plane of the septum and vertically discontinuous because of sclerodermites bending outwards from the plane of the septum in unpaired fashion, especially peripherally in the mural region and near the columella , leaving pores. Laterally the septa are strongly granulated, marginally they are usually smooth except proximally and distally where there are irregular dentations or granulations, especially costally; and in some species the septa are more or less wholly dentate. Insertion of the septa usually following the Pourtalès plan. Columella, when present, spongy. Endotheca thin, poorly developed.

Remarks. Cairns (2001) gave detailed discussions of the taxonomic history of the Dendrophylliidae and provided a generic revision and phylogenetic analysis of the genera of this family.