Bitectiporidae MacGillivray, 1895

Diagnosis: Colony encrusting or erect. Zooids with a lepralioid ascus. Frontal shield evenly pseudoporous with marginal areolae, or the pseudopores few to absent. Zooidal orifice without a lyrula, with a narrow to broad sinus, condyles present or absent. Articulated oral spines present or absent. Adventitious and vicarious avicularia present or lacking. Ovicell with endooecium and ectooecium calcified but unfused, the ectooecium with several relatively large pores. (modified from Gordon 1994, for Superfamily Smittinoidea). The double-layered ovicell is a useful character, found also in the Smittinidae, most of which have a lyrula in the orifice. Distinction between some members of the Bitectiporidae and some encrusting species of the Lanceoporidae (Parmulariidae?) appears to be based on the ovicell in the latter being constructed by the skeletal contributions from several neighbouring zooids.

This family includes the genera


Bitectipora lineata	Bitectipora rostrata	Hippomonavella calopora	Hippomonavella formosa

Hippoporina elegans	Hippoporina pertusa (Thanks to Dennis Gordon, NIWA)	Hippoporina vulgaris (Andrew Grischenko photo)	Metroperiella anatina (Thanks to Dr D. Soule)

Parkermavella punctigera	Parkermavella incurvata (Thanks to Dennis Gordon, NIWA)	Pentapora fascialis	Schizosmittina maplestonei