Superfamily AMPHIPYNDACOIDEA Riedel, 1967

Amphipyndacidae Riedel, 1967a: 148; 1967b: 296; 1971: 657.

Amphipyndacaceae [sic] O’Dogherty, 1994: 98 (= Amphipyndacoidea)[as a superfamily].

Amphipyndacea [sic] – De Wever et al. 2001: 266 (= Amphipyndacoidea)[as a superfamily].

Amphipyndacioidea [sic] – Afanasieva et al. 2005: S302 (= Amphipyndacoidea). — Afanasieva & Amon 2006: 151.

DIAGNOSIS. — Amphipyndacoidea are multisegmented Nassellaria whose cephalis is divided into two parts, a spherical cavity and flattened space, by a thick, horizontal divider. This divider is formed by horizontally or subhorizontally extended branches of A-rod. A-, D-, V-, Lr- and Ll-rods are observed.

REMARKS

This superfamily consists of the Mesozoic Amphipyndacidae, Canoptidae Pessagno in Pessagno et al. (1979), Parvicingulidae Pessagno 1977c, Syringocapsidae Foreman 1973b, and Spongocapsulidae Pessagno 1977c (De Wever et al. 2001). Amphipyndacidae is the only known member appearing in the Cenozoic. Suzuki H. et al. (2002: 180) noted the similarity between the cephalic initial spicular system of the earliest Jurassic Canoptum and that of Amphipyndacidae . They subsequently concluded that Canoptidae is a junior synonym of the Amphipyndacidae .However, the photographic evidence of Suzuki H. et al. (2002: fig. 8K) was insufficient in evaluating the illustrated structure of the Canoptidae that was drawn and published in De Wever et al. (2001: fig. 177). The difference between De Wever et al. (2001) and Suzuki, Hisashi’s opinion ( Suzuki H. et al. 2002) is the rank of superfamily/family.