Caryophylliidae Dana, 1846

Baron-Szabo, Rosemarie C., 2008, Dendrophylliina, Caryophylliina, Fungiina, Microsolenina, and Stylinina, Zootaxa 1952, pp. 1-244 : 45

Family Caryophylliidae Dana, 1846

Diagnosis. Solitary and colonial. Colony formation by extracalicinal budding (rarely intracalicinal) budding, forming phaceloid or dendroid colonies. Costae commonly covered by stereome or epitheca. Septa exsert. Columella absent or formed by curled trabecular laths, solid, spongy. Pali or paliform lobes common. Endothecal dissepiments developed in some groups.

Remarks. Gray (1847) is commonly referred to as the first author to have described the family Caryophylliidae (e.g. Milne Edwards 1857; Vaughan & Wells 1943; Alloiteau 1952a). However, as pointed out by Cairns (1989) one year prior to Gray’s work the family Caryophylliidae was created by Dana (1846: 364), which gives Dana priority of authorship.