Systematic List of Families of Bryozoa

('Corrected' terminations of some systematic names not yet included).
Many of the families and genera of cheilostomes now have pages without illustrations of species. The links leading to illustrations are marked with the symbol "†".

Index: (Jump to the appropriate taxonomic group)

Order Cyclostomata
Order(?) Hederellida
Order Cryptostomida
Order Cystoporida
Order Trepostomatida
Order Fenestrida
Order Ctenostomata
Order Cheilostomata
Suborder Flustrina
Suborder Ascophorina
Infraorder Umbonulomorpha
Infraorder Lepraliomorpha
Class Phylactolaemata

CLASS STENOLAEMATA

An alternative classification of the Stenolaemata, based upon Recent Russian systematics, is given in an alternative document. The arrangement of families in the file system, and in this page that you are reading, is not intended to imply endorsement of the systematic scheme.

ORDER CYCLOSTOMATA

Distinguishing Features
Family-level systematics of the cyclostomes is poorly known. Some families are distinctive and well defined. However, others are inadequately defined, and there is no consistent version of a classification. The following list includes most of the families included in a variety of references. Several of these are either not very useful, or are considered by most authorities to be invalid. These are indicated by a smaller font in this list.

SUBORDER PALEOTUBULIPORINA

SUBORDER TUBULIPORINA

FAMILY STOMATOPORIDAE
FAMILY CINCTIPORIDAE † (Suborder placement uncertain)
FAMILY ONCOUSOECIIDAE †
FAMILY TUBULIPORIDAE †
FAMILY MULTISPARSIDAE
FAMILY IDMONEIDAE
FAMILY DIPLOCLEMIDAE
FAMILY CELLULIPORIDAE
FAMILY PLAGIOECIIDAE †
FAMILY ELEIDAE
FAMILY TERVIIDAE
FAMILY SPIROPORIDAE
FAMILY DIASTOPORIDAE
FAMILY ANNECTOCYMIDAE
FAMILY BERENICEIDAE
FAMILY FILISPARSIDAE
FAMILY MECYNOECIIDAE
FAMILY DIAPEROECIIDAE
FAMILY ENTALOPHORIDAE
FAMILY PUSTULOPORIDAE
FAMILY PHACELOPORIDAE

SUBORDER FASCICULINA

FAMILY FRONDIPORIDAE †
FAMILY FASCICULIPORIDAE -see FRONDIPORIDAE
FAMILY FASCIGERIDAE -see FRONDIPORIDAE
FAMILY THEONOIDAE
FAMILY ACTINOPORIDAE
FAMILY SIPHONIOTYPHLIDAE
FAMILY HASTINGSIIDAE †
FAMILY SEMICEIDAE

SUBORDER ARTICULINA

Cyclostomatids with family placement uncertain

ORDER (?) HEDERELLIDA

ORDER CRYPTOSTOMIDA

Distinguishing Features

Families from Boardman, R.S. et al. 1983, Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part G (Revised) Vol.1; and Taylor (1993). Further suborders and families have been added from the work of Goryunova (1985). I have included several families proposed in the past 15 years, but which appear not to have been generally adopted. I would like to hear from anyone with critical comments that can help towards a reasonably stable classification.

SUBORDER PTILODICTYINA

SUBORDER RHABDOMESINA

SUBORDER TIMANODICTYINA

FAMILY TIMANODICTYIDAE
FAMILY MURENGOLOCLEMIDAE
FAMILY GIRTYPORIDAE -see in ORDER TREPOSTOMATIDA ?

SUBORDER GOLDFUSSITRYPINA

SUBORDER STREBLOTRYPINA

Unplaced Cryptostomids

FAMILY TAMAROCLEMIDAE
FAMILY FLABELLOTRYPIDAE (Now in Cyclostomata)
FAMILY KIELCEPORIDAE
FAMILY PALESCHARIDAE ?
Antonoclema
Euspilopora
Heliotrypa
Petaloporella
Ptilotrypa
Ptilotrypina
Stictotrypa
Taeniodictya
Trepocryptopora

ORDER CYSTOPORIDA

Distinguishing Features

Families from Boardman, R.S. et al. 1983, Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part G (Revised) Vol.1.

SUBORDER CERAMOPORINA

SUBORDER FISTULIPORINA

Unplaced Cystoporid genera

ORDER TREPOSTOMATIDA

Distinguishing Features

(Families from Taylor, 1993)

Unplaced Trepostome genera

ORDER FENESTRIDA

Distinguishing Features

(Families from Taylor, 1993)

Unplaced Fenestrate genera

CLASS GYMNOLAEMATA

ORDER CTENOSTOMATA

Distinguishing Features

Cladistic analysis of ctenostomes strongly supports the view that this is a paraphyletic grouping, with the clade including all non-phylactolaemate bryozoans (Todd, 1990). The name Gymnolaemata is suggested (by Todd) for this clade. The term 'Ctenostomata' would thus be used for an informal, paraphyletic grouping of non-skeletized taxa. A page outlining the proposed phylogenetic classification will be prepared, as soon as I work out how to format it! For the present, the arrangement of files and directories on this site will continue using traditional hierarchical systematics.

PROTOCTENOSTOMATA

SUPERFAMILY BENEDENIPOROIDEA

SUBORDER ALCYONIDIINA

SUPERFAMILY ALCYONIDIOIDEA

SUBORDER FLUSTRELLIDRINA

SUPERFAMILY HAYWARDOZOONOIDEA

FAMILY HAYWARDOZOONTIDAE

SUPERFAMILY FLUSTRELLIDROIDEA

FAMILY FLUSTRELLIDRIDAE
FAMILY LOBIANCOPORIDAE - see ALCYONIDIIDAE?
FAMILY PHERUSELLIDAE

SUBORDER VICTORELLINA

SUPERFAMILY VICTORELLOIDEA

SUBORDER PALUDICELLINA

SUPERFAMILY PALUDICELLOIDEA

FAMILY PALUDICELLIDAE

SUBORDER VESICULARINA

SUPERFAMILY VESICULARIOIDEA

SUBORDER STOLONIFERINA

SUPERFAMILY TRITICELLOIDEA

FAMILY TRITICELLIDAE

SUPERFAMILY AEVERRILLIOIDEA

SUPERFAMILY VALKERIOIDEA

SUPERFAMILY ARACHNIDIOIDEA

FAMILY ARACHNIDIIDAE

SUPERFAMILY TEREBRIPOROIDEA

FAMILY TEREBRIPORIDAE †
FAMILY SPATHIPORIDAE
FAMILY ROPALONARIIDAE
FAMILY VOIGTELLIDAE
FAMILY ORBIGNYOPORIDAE
FAMILY COOKOBRYOZOONIDAE see TEREBRIPORIDAE
FAMILY VINELLIDAE

SUPERFAMILY HISLOPIOIDEA

FAMILY HISLOPIIDAE

SUPERFAMILY PENETRANTIINA

FAMILY PENETRANTIIDAE

Unplaced Ctenostomates

ORDER CHEILOSTOMATA

Distinguishing Features

The use of the term 'Cheilostomatida' for this Order was proposed a few years ago, to achieve consistency in terminations of ordinal names. As this suggestion has not become generally adopted, the usage is not continued in these web pages. The arrangement of cheilostome families is based upon an Interim Classification by D.P. Gordon. Much of the background of this classification has not yet been published. The Working Lists are accessible as Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files. These are: the Systematic List of Families, and the Alphabetic List of Genera
Many of the families and genera now have pages without illustrations of species. The links leading to illustrations are marked with the symbol "†".