Asterigerinacea

{{Short description|Superfamily of single-celled organisms}}

{{Taxobox

| image = 2016-05-26 20-35-27 - Amphistegina gibbosa d'Orbigny, 1839 - 350x; 2036X1385(E)c.tif

| image_caption = Amphistegina gibbosa

| name = Asterigerinacea

| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Cretaceous|Recent}}

| domain = Eukaryota

| unranked_regnum = SAR

| unranked_subregnum = Rhizaria

| phylum = Retaria

| subphylum = Foraminifera

| ordo = Rotaliida

| superfamilia = Asterigerinacea.

| superfamilia_authority = Loeblich & Tappan (1988)

| subdivision_ranks = Families

| subdivision = Episomariidae
Asterigerinidae
Amphisteginidae

}}

The Asterigerinacea (or Asterigerinoidea) is a superfamily of Foraminifera included in the order Rotaliida, proposed by Loeblich and Tappan in 1988.Loeblick A.R. and Tappan H,1988. Forminiferal Genera and their Classification. (e-book) GSI {{cite web|url=http://www.gsi.ir/General/Lang_en/Page_48/Action_FirstPageView/FORAMINIFERIDA.html |title=GSI.ir - - Paleontology - |accessdate=2012-09-26 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616112446/http://www.gsi.ir/General/Lang_en/Page_48/Action_FirstPageView/FORAMINIFERIDA.html |archivedate=2012-06-16 }}

The Asterigerinacea unites three families,[https://books.google.com/books?id=K-3tUmXW-IgC&pg=PA16&lpg Barun K. Sen Gupta, 2002. Modern Foraminifera, pp 7 -36] the Episomariidae and Asterigerinidae which had been included in the Discorbacea and the Amphisteginidae which was included in the Orbiotoidacea in the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part C.Loeblick A.R. and Tappan H.1964. Sarcodina Chiefly "Thecamoebians" and Foraminiferida. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, part C Protista 2. Geological Society of America and University of Kansas Press.

Asterigerinacea are characterized by a trochospiral or nearly planispiral arrangement of the chambers, which are fully or partially subdivided by internal partitions. The primary aperture is commonly on the interior margin and secondary apertures are commonly along the sutures. Apertures may also form on the chamber surfaces as well. Test walls are composed of optically radial calcite.

The Asterigerinacea range from the Cretaceous to Recent, the oldest family being the Asterigerinidae.