Nannotax3 - ntax_main - Ceratolithaceae

Citation: Ceratolithaceae Norris, 1965 emend Young & Bown 2014

Synonyms: Triquetrorhabdulaceae Lipps 1969 - cf Young & Bown 2014

Taxonomic discussion: The scope of the family was broadened by Young & Bown to include the genera Triquetrorhabdulus and Orthorhabdus which had previously been placed inter own genus but which have been shown to be directly related (Theodoridis 1984, Raffi et all. 1998).

Distinguishing features:
Parent taxon (Nannolith families inc sed): Haptophytes forming calcareous structures not obviously homologous with heterococcoliths, holococcoliths, or discoasteralids
This taxon: Horseshoe-shaped rod-shaped nannoliths and simple hoop-coccoliths formed in one phase of life cycle, planolith heterococcoliths in the other.

Family characterised by ornate nannoliths formed from a single calcite crystal unit, these maybe horseshoe-shaped, termed ceratoliths or rod-shapedand formed from three laths. The genera differ in nannolith shape and crystallographic orientations.

Classic observations of Norris (1965, 1971) showed that typically a single ceratolith was wrapped around the cell and that beyond the ceratolith a large coccosphere of hoop-shaped coccoliths sometimes occurs. These large coccospheres can contain up to four cells each with ceratoliths.
More recently, Alcober & Jordan (1997) observed C. cristatus hoop-shaped coccoliths inside coccospheres of ""Neosphaera coccolithomorpha"" planoliths, suggesting that ceratoliths, planoliths and hoop coccoliths may form during alternate phases of a complex life-cycle. These observations have been strongly confirmed by Young et al. (1998), Cros et al. (2000) and Sprengel & Young (2000). The “Neosphaera” planoliths show typical heterococcolith features, hence a likely hypothesis is that the ceratolith stage is equivalent to the holococcolith stage in other taxa, and so haploid (see also discussion in Young et al. 2005). Molecular genetic data and culture observations not yet available.

See Raffi et al. (1999) for description of key evolutionary relationships within this family

Geological Range:
Last occurrence (top): Extant. Data source: Total of ranges of the species in this database
First occurrence (base): within NP24 zone (26.84-29.62Ma, base in Rupelian stage). Data source: Total of ranges of species in this database

References:

Alcober, J. & Jordan, R. W. (1997). An interesting association between Neosphaera coccolithomorpha and Ceratolithus cristatus (Haptophyta). European Journal of Phycology. 32: 91-93. gs

Cros, L., Kleijne, A., Zeltner, A., Billard, C. & Young, J. R. (2000b). New examples of holococcolith-heterococcolith combination coccospheres and their implications for coccolithophorid biology. In, Young, J. R., Thierstein, H. R. & Winter, A. (eds) Nannoplankton ecology and palaeocology, Proceedings of the INA7 conference, Puerto Rico, February 1998. Marine Micropaleontology . 39(1-4): 1-34. gs

Lipps, J. H. (1969). Triquetrorhabdulus and similar calcareous nannoplankton. Journal of Paleontology. 43(4): 1029-1032. gs

Norris, R. E. (1965). Living cells of Ceratolithus cristatus (Coccolithophorineae). Archiv für Protistenkunde. 108: 19-21. gs

Norris, R. E. (1971). Extant calcareous nannoplankton from the Indian Ocean. In, Farinacci, A. (ed.) Proceedings of the Second Planktonic Conference Roma 1970. E. J. Brill, Leiden (2): 899-910. gs

Raffi, I., Backman, J. & Rio, D. (1998). Evolutionary trends of tropical calcareous nannofossils in the late Neogene. Marine Micropaleontology. 35(1): 17-41. gs

Sprengel, C. & Young, J. R. (2000). First direct documentation of associations of Ceratolithus cristatus ceratoliths, hoop-coccoliths and Neosphaera coccolithomorpha planoliths. In, Young, J. R., Thierstein, H. R. & Winter, A. (eds) Nannoplankton ecology and palaeocology, Proceedings of the INA7 conference, Puerto Rico, February 1998. Marine Micropaleontology . 39(1-4): 39-41. gs

Theodoridis, S. (1984). Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy of the Miocene and revision of the helicoliths and discoasters. Utrecht Micropaleontological Bulletin. 32: 1-271. gs O

Young, J. R. & Bown, P. R. (2014). Some emendments to calcareous nannoplankton taxonomy. Journal of Nannoplankton Research. 33(1): 39-46. gs

Young, J. R., Jordan, R. W. & Cros, L. (1998). Notes on nannoplankton systematics and life-cycles - Ceratolithus cristatus, Neosphaera coccolithomorpha and Umbilicosphaera sibogae. Journal of Nannoplankton Research. 20(2): 89-99. gs

Young, J. R., Geisen, M. & Probert, I. (2005). A review of selected aspects of coccolithophore biology with implications for palaeobiodiversity estimation. Micropaleontology. 51(4): 267-288. gs

Daughter taxa (time control age-window is: 0-800Ma)		Granddaughter taxa
	Horseshoe-shaped
	Amaurolithus Ceratoliths non-birefringent or only weakly birefringent	Amaurolithus brevigracilis Amaurolithus delicatus Amaurolithus primus Amaurolithus tricorniculatus Amaurolithus sp.
	Ceratolithus Ceratoliths strongly birefringent	Ceratolithus cristatus Ceratolithus vidalii Ceratolithus apiculus Ceratolithus armatus Ceratolithus atlanticus Ceratolithus larrymayeri Ceratolithus separatus Ceratolithus sp.
	Nicklithus Ceratoliths non-birefringent or only weakly birefringent; left arm straight and with nodes	Nicklithus amplificus
	Rod-shaped
	Orthorhabdus Elongate nannoliths formed of three blades, with c-axis perpendicular to length. Usually curved and asymmetric. Shows low to moderate birefringence.	Orthorhabdus serratus Orthorhabdus rugosus Orthorhabdus striatus Orthorhabdus rioi Orthorhabdus finifer Orthorhabdus extensus Orthorhabdus sp.
	Triquetrorhabdulus Elongate, tri-radiate nannoliths formed of a single calcite crystal with the c-axis parallel to the length of the nannolith. Nannolith straight with bilateral or trilateral symmetry. Shows high birefringence.	Triquetrorhabdulus carinatus Triquetrorhabdulus challengeri Triquetrorhabdulus milowii Triquetrorhabdulus nanhaiensis Diplotsekouri francisjosephii Triquetrorhabdulus sp.
	Restricted marine, possibly unrelated
	Nivisolithus one end obliquely truncated, occur in radial groups	Nivisolithus kovacicii Nivisolithus vrabacii

Ceratolithaceae

References:

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