Family PHILASTERIDAE Kahl, 1931

Syns.

Frontoniidae p.p., Paralembidae, Paranophryidae, Porpostomatidae, possibly Protocruziidae

Body elongate to finger-shaped, though small and ovoid in some genera, with anterior end bluntly tapered; life cycle typically monomorphic (but Potomacus exhibits microstome-macrostome transformation); uniform ciliation, generally with single caudal cilium; lengthy, usually shallow, buccal cavity or depression, typically with three (many in Porpostoma) adoral ciliary organelles (sometimes anarchic fields of ciliferous kinetosomes rather than membranelles) arranged more or less in an anteroposterior line in center or left of center of oral area; predominantly freeliving marine forms, though several histophagous on or in sponges, tubularian coelenterates, sea horses, polychaete annelids, crabs (in blood), etc.

[Family too heterogeneous?]

Glauconema Thompson, 1966. Single species.
Glauconema Thompson, 1966. Single species.
Helicostoma Cohn, 1866. Single species.
Madsenia Kahl, 1934. Single species.
Miamiensis Thompson & Moewus, 1964. Single species.
Mugardia Small [unpublished] . Single species.
Paralembus Kahl, 1933 (for Lemboides). Few to several species.
Paranophrys Thompson & Berger, 1965 (syn. Anophrys p.p.). Several species.
Parauronema Thompson, 1967. Single species.
Philaster Fabre-Domergue, 1885. Few species.
Philasterella Evans [unpublished] . Single species.
Philasterides Kahl, 1931. Single species.
Potomacus Thompson, 1966 (syn. Potamacus). Single species.
Incertae sedis:
Metanophrys de Puytorac, Grolière, Roque & Detcheva, 1974, single species.
Porpostoma Möbius, 1888 (syn. Porpostomum), single species. V 12i