First fossil occurrence of the austral bryozoan family Urceoliporidae

The cheilostome bryozoan family Urceoliporidae has not previously been disc overed in the fossil record, hitherto comprising only three Recent species in two genera from Australia and New Zealand. Urceolipora miocenica n. sp. is described from the Pakaurangi Formation, Waitemata Group, from Pakaurang i Point, Kaipara Harbour, New Zealand. Thus, both families of the superfami ly Urceoliporoidea (Urceoliporidae and Prostomariidae) are now known from t he Early Miocene. The new species is made the type of a new subgenus, Cureo lipora, chiefly distinguished from Urceolipoua sensu stricto by the lack of a longitudinal ridge dividing the frontal shield into two sectors, and als o by the lack of an orificial sinus and lateral-oral hems. More than 215 sp ecies of Bryozoa are now known to occur in the New Zealand Miocene, more th an half of which are undescribed.