Moss-forming radiolarians - Antique scientific engraving - Ernst Haeckel, Kunstformen der Natur

Engraving reproduction of: Moss radiolarians

Original title Spumellaria - Schaumstrahlinge

Poster of Astrosphaera - Protozoa of the main class Rhizopoda, Class Radiolaria

Illustration from the book Kunstformen der Natur, which is a collection of artistic lithographs of natural sciences published by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel between 1899 and 1904.

This naturalistic illustration is part of an overall style inspired by Ernst Haeckel, which greatly influenced the emerging Art Nouveau movement at the beginning of the ^20th century. This work, illustrating the impressive beauty and great diversity of the biological world, was complemented by a certain amount of scientific information, some excerpts of which are reproduced below.

This information is over 120 years old and some of it may be outdated!

Scientific classification:

 Phylum Protozoa
Main class Rhizopoda (Rhizopoda)
Class Radiolaria (Radiolaria)
Order Spumellaria or Moss Radiolaria (Spumellaria)

Scientific notice (extract) accompanying the poster print of Spumellaria - Moss radiolarians :

The vast class of spumellaria, comprising over 2000 known species, is distinguished by the great regularity and diversity of construction of their delicate shells. These generally form a very fine network, produced by the projections of fine pseudopodia from the unicellular cell body. While single or multiple shells envelop the living body, spiny or wing-like appendages serve as floating devices to prevent the small body from drifting in the sea. Among the four orders of this large class, the spherical (Sphaeroidea), the plum-shaped (Prunoidea), the discoid (Discoidea), and the lentelliptic (Larcoidea) are distinguished. The central nucleus, the inner part of the unicellular body (which includes the cell nucleus), as well as the outer capsule (calymma) that envelops it, are initially spherical in the Sphaeroidea (Figs. 1, 2). In Prunoidea (Fig. 3-10), the central capsule elongates into an ellipsoid or plum shape. In Discoidea (Fig. 11-14), however, when this capsule compresses along one axis, it becomes linear or discoid (see Tafel 11). Finally, in Larcoidea (Fig. 15), the central capsule and the calymma that covers it, as well as the shell formed around it, become flattened elliptical; in this case, the three perpendicular axes of the body are of unequal lengths. All figures in this plate are greatly enlarged; only the shells are shown. For more details on the encapsulated soft body and the pseudopodia emitted by it, it is advisable to refer to Plates 11 and 51.

Species present on the naturalist board of Moss Radiolaria - Astrosphaera :

• Astrosphaera stellata
• Hexancistra quadricuspis
• Cannartidium mammaliferum
• Cannartidium mastophorum
• Cannartiscus amphiconiscus
• Cyphinus amphilophus
• Panartus diploconus
• Peripanartus amphiconus
• Panicium coronatum
• Peripanicium amphicorona
• Trochdiscus stellaris
• Dicranastrum bifurcatum
• Archidiscus pyloniscus
• Pylodiscus triangularis
• Tholoma Metallasson