print this page- Citation:FAMILY DISCOASTERACEAE TAN, 1927
Description. Discoidal nannoliths of 3-40 elements radiating from a common centre. C-axes vertical, so nannoliths appear dark in plane-polarised light. Some early forms also include a cycle of birefringent units.
Taxa included: Discoaster, Catinaster.
6-rayed discoasters with bifurcations.
Discoaster brouweri group
6-rayed discoasters without bifurcations, and forms closely related to D. brouweri with 3 to 5 rays
Discoaster pentaradiatus group
symmetric 5-rayed discoasters
6-rayed discosters in which the birfurcations meet to form a rim, which extends proximally
