Acoraniidae is a family of
bryozoans belonging to the 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, ...
.
It was introduced in order to accommodate the new genus ''Acorania'' which did not fit, at the time, in any of the described
cheilostomes. It was discovered during a deep-water expedition in September 1998 at the
Enmedio volcano off the coast of the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
. Both the family Acoraniidae and the genus ''Acorania'' are derived from the name
Acoran, a name of Achamán, the supreme god of the
Guanches, the native inhabitants of the Canary Islands.
Genera:
* ''
Acorania''
López-Fé, 2006
References
Bryozoan families
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