TUBERITINIDAE Miklukho-Maklay, 1958

Vachard, D, Krainer, K & Lucas, SG, 2015, Late Early Permian (late Leonardian; Kungurian) algae, microproblematica, and smaller foraminifers from the Yeso Group and San Andres Formation (New Mexico; USA), Palaeontologia Electronica (English ed.) 3 (8), pp. 1-77 : 20

Family TUBERITINIDAE Miklukho-Maklay, 1958

Description. See Vachard (1994).

Remarks. Despite their resemblances to foraminifers, tuberitinids cannot belong to this group because of: 1) some microstructures of their wall; 2) common mutual attachment; and 3) existence of a double way of life, either free or attached (Conil and Lys in Conil et al., 1977). This latter character might indicate a relationship with the Euglenophyta but this group is not calcified, and the remarkable biological tolerance of the tuberitinids is not compatible with a protophytal ecology. As indicated by Vachard (1994), some links might exist with the calcitarcha calcisphaeraceae, but this group is also incertae sedis. Appearing in the Silurian, the tuberitinids are still common up to the Permian-Triassic Boundary (PTB) ( Vachard, 1994), Very rare forms cross through the PTB, given that Song et al. (2011; and personal commun., November 2014) have identified Diplosphaerina Derville 1952 (the free stage of Eotuberitina ) in the lowermost Triassic beds of South China.

Occurrence. Silurian-Permian, cosmopolitan.