Flustrina

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Flustrina
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous–Recent
Flustra foliacea.jpg
Colony of Flustra foliacea (Flustridae)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Bryozoa
Class: Gymnolaemata
Order: Cheilostomatida
Suborder: Flustrina
Smitt, 1868
Synonyms
  • Anasca
  • Ascophora
  • Ascophorina
  • Neocheilostomatina

Flustrina is a suborder under the order Cheilostomatida of gymnolaematan Bryozoa (sea mats).

Contents

Description

The structure of the individual zooids is generally simple, a box-like chamber of calcium carbonate, the polypides reaching out through an uncalcified flexible frontal wall, often surrounded by numerous spines. Like in other gymnolaematans, their lophophore is protruded by muscles that pull on the frontal wall of the zooid.

Taxonomy and systematics

In some treatments, the Flustrina are restricted to the superfamilies Calloporoidea and Flustroidea and ranked as infraorder alongside the Cellulariomorpha which contain three other superfamilies. [1]

The obsolete suborder Anasca previously included the members of this suborder before being deprecated. [2]

The following superfamilies, and families are recognised in the suborder Flustrina: [3]

References

  1. BryoZone (2004): Taxa Hierarchy
  2. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Anasca". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
  3. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Flustrina incertae sedis". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2025-09-05.