CODIACEAE Kützing, 1843

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 : 12

Family CODIACEAE Kützing, 1843

Synonyms. Dimorphosiphonaceae (Shuysky in Chuvashov, Luchinina, Shuysky, Shaikin, Berchenko, Ishchenko, Saltovskaya and Shirshova, 1987) Vachard, 1993; Codiaceae Kützing, 1843 (partim); Praecodiaceae Dragastan, 2008 (partim); Scribroporellaceae ( Rietschel, 1966) Vachard, 1993 emend. Vachard, Haig and Mory, 2014 (partim).

Description. Large thalli not segmented, probably cylindrical or club-shaped. Broad medullar zone poorly preserved. Subcortical zone with subvertical siphons, acrophore, slightly phloiophore or perhaps vesiculifer, more or less euspondyl. Cortical zone with fine siphons linked in tuft-like groups and showing several ramifications with constant diameter up to the outer surface, and terminated by circular pores (deltoid terminations corresponding to utricles are inconspicuous). Reproductive structures unknown (the occasionally mentioned subcortical conceptacles are in fact misinterpreted and correspond to lithophagous perforations). Wall whitish, microsparitized, probably originally aragonitic.

Composition. Six Palaeozoic tribes (plus eventually two tribes of “phylloid algae” to emend): Ivanoviae Shuysky in Chuvashov et al. (1987) and Paradelleae Maslov, 1956: Lanciculeae Shuysky, 1985; Palaeoporelleae Shuysky in Chuvashov et al. (1987); Abacelleae Shuysky in Chuvashov et al. (1987); Ampulliporeae Shuysky in Chuvashov et al. (1987); Botryelleae Shuysky in Chuvashov et al. (1987); and the first Boueineae Shuysky in Chuvashov et al. (1987) (orth. mut.; sic: Boueneae).

Remarks. The name Codiaceae has priority over Scribroporellaceae as well as Dimorphosiphonaceae and encompasses the majority of the Praecodiaceae. The Palaeozoic members of this family constitute a group that shares morphological and possible phylogenetic affinities with various fossil ulotrichales ( Kozlowski and Kazmierczak, 1968), gymnocodiales, dasycladales, and siphonales.

Occurrence. Ordovician-Holocene; widespread on Palaeotethys and Urals Ocean shelves during the Late Palaeozoic.