Type species:Spongosaturnalis ? minoensis  Yao (monotypy)
Description:Ring and spines strongly bladed. Outline of the ring hexagonal. 6 very strong outer spines. 2 polar spines opposite to interspine spaces on the outer margin of the ring. 2-4 small auxiliary spines. Cortical shells spongy.
Remarks:Hexasaturnalis n.gen. has no auxiliary spines but it is identical otherwise.
Stratigraphic range:Bajocian of Japan and Hungary. Middle Jurassic, Mesozoic.
Etymology:In honour of A. Yao, Osaka.
Subsequent descriptions:YES
[Synonymized with HEXASATURNALIS by Dumitrica, in De Wever et al., 2001.]

Description and dimensions:Spongosaturnalid with auxiliary spines on inner margin of ring, and with subhexagonal ring and six spines. Complete shell not seen, but shell fragments, which are loosely spongy, are partially preserved on sturdy spines and on auxiliary spines. Polar spines short, a little thin, with no ridge. Ring bilaterally symmetrical, subhexagonal, with clear ridge on outer edge. Spines long or somewhat short, slightly slender or thick, of sharp tip, with clear ridges. Two or three auxiliary spines are present oppositely on inner margin of ring, at or near terminal ends. Auxiliary spines short, conical, smooth, with broken sharp end, and in some specimens fragmentary thorns present at tip of them.        (Based on 6 specimens) Diameter of ring along polar spines 139-186µm, diameter of ring, transversely 145-206µm, diameter of shell 80-110µm, length of polar spines 5-25µm. Remarks:The presence or absence of auxiliary spines is here regarded as a distinguishing feature at the specific level. This species differs from S. ? hexagonus in having auxiliary spines on the inner margin of the saturnalin ring, although they resemble each other in other morphological elements. Foreman reported spongosaturnalids with auxiliary spines (1971, pl.1, figs.6 and 8) from the Cretaceous sediments core taken at Site 61 in west margin of East Mariana Basin through the Deep Sea Drilling Project. Foreman's species illustrated there have numerous (more than ten) auxiliary spines, and fragmentary thorns attached to the tip of them. It was considered by her that a spongy shell almost completely filled the space enclosed by the ring. This interpretation appears to be reasonable concerning these species.

Repository:Holotype: OCU MR 2050 (IN 3-3-6, 17/96), Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science, Osaka City University, Japan.
Type locality:Manganese carbonate ore, Mino Belt, river side of the Kiso, east of Unuma, Kagamihara City, Gifu Pref. Central Japan.
Original stratigraphic range:[No information given]
Etymology:[After the ancient name of the area "Mino".]
Subsequent descriptions:?

Literature cited:- De Wever, P., P. Dumitrica, J.P. Caulet, C. Nigrini, and M. Caridroit (2001). Radiolarians in the sedimentary record. Gordon and Breach, 533 p.
- Foreman, H. P. (1971). Cretaceous Radiolaria, Leg 7, DSDP. Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project. E. L. Winterer, W. R. Riedel et. Al. Washington, D.C., U. S. Government Printing Office. 7: 1673-1693.
- Kozur, H. and H. Mostler (1983). The polyphyletic origin and the classification of the Mesozoic saturnalids (Radiolaria). Geologisch - Paläontologische Mitteilungen Innsbruck 13(1): 1-47.
- Yao, A. (1972). Radiolarian fauna from the Mino Belt in the northern part of the Inuyama Area, Central Japan, Part I: Spongosaturnalids. Journal of Geosciences, Osaka City University 15: 21-65.