Foraminifera Nomenclature


Modern nomenclature defines foraminifera by the following hierarchical scheme1:

Kingdom: Protista

Subkingdom: Protozoa

Phylum: Sarcomastigophora Honigberg and Balamuth, 1963

Subphylum: Sarcodina Schmarda, 1871

Superclass: Rhizopoda von Siebold, 1845

Class: Granuloreticulosea De Saedeleer, 1934

Order: Foraminifera

Foraminifera can be more generally described as any Protozoan belonging to the order Foraminifera which is characterized and subdivided by variable morphologies with respect to test chamber arrangement and composition.

By 1993 over 684 categories of foraminifera were recognized above the level of genus. Twelve suborders, 74 superfamilies, 296 families, 302 subfamilies define a total of 3620 genera.1

1 Lipps, J.H. Fossil Prokaryotes and Protists