The Adeonellidae is a family within the

bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary colonies. Typically about long, they have a special feeding structure called a l ...

n order

Cheilostomatida Cheilostomatida, also called Cheilostomata, is an order of Bryozoa in the class Gymnolaemata. They are exclusively marine, colonial invertebrate animals. Cheilostome colonies are composed of calcium carbonate and grow on a variety of surfaces, ...

. Colonies are often upright bilaminar branches or sheets. The zooids generally have one or more adventitious avicularia on their frontal wall. Instead of ovicells the adeonids often possess enlarged polymorphs which brood the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e internally. The apparent similarity in characters to the family Adeonidae can makes their separation debatable.Lidgard, S. 1996. "Zooidal skeletal morphogenesis of some Australian and New Zealand Adeonellopsis (Cheilostomatida)". In: Bryozoans in Space and Time. (Eds: Gordon, D.P., Smith A.M., Grant-Mackie, J.A.) NIWA, Wellington, 167-177.

References

Bryozoan families Cheilostomatida Extant Eocene first appearances {{bryozoan-stub