Radiolaria are one of the most amazing groups of the protozoa. They are marine, pelagic organisms. They exhibit a complex endoskeleton, formed with silica, often radially symmetrical and very beautiful. The endoskeleton (a central capsule) covers a nucleated part of the cell and it separates this part from an ectoplasm. You can find more info about radiolaria at http://www.radiolaria.org/.

   The famous and beautiful drawings of Radiolaria were made by Ernst Haeckel and published in a book Die Radiolarien (Berlin, 1862), available online from the Kurt Stüber's Online Library. Even more amazing resource is a Report on the Radiolaria collected by Ernst Haeckel during H.M.S. Challenger voyage 1873-1876.

Morphology of the Radiolaria skeletons:

    Most of the presented specimens come from the following samples, courtesy of Prof. Annika Sanfilippo and Mr. Warren Smith, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD:

• Equatorial Pacific, 38-40 cm, Quaternary (JYN V 38P)
• Equatorial Pacific, 81-83 cm, Late Middle Eocene (DSDP 16-162-6-4)
• Equatorial Pacific, 100-102 cm, Early Pliocene (DSDP 9-77B-7-4)
• Equatorial Pacific, 65-67 cm, Pliocene/Late Miocene (DSDP 9-77B-10-2)
• Gulf of Mexico/Carribean, Middle Eocene (DSDP 15-149-34-CC)
• Gulf of Mexico/Carribean, 42-44cm, Early Oligocene (DSDP 10-94-12-4)
• Indian Ocean, 133-135cm, Quaternary (DSDP 24-238-2-6)
• Indian Ocean, 99-101cm, Pliocene/Late Miocene (DSDP 24-238-18-6)

Calocyclas	Dictyoprora	Eusyringium	Heliodiscus	Hexastylus	Lithochytris
Lophospyris	Lychnocanoma	Podocyrtis	Thyrsocyrtis	Xiphosphaera	Xiphostylus