Carboniferous bryozoans of the order Rhabdomesida of the East European Platform

This paper deals with the revision of Carboniferous bryozoans of the order Rhabdomesida from the East European Platform. Based on evolutionary and morphological analysis and on astogenetic method, the criteria of classification are refined and the taxonomic system of Carboniferous rhabdomesids of this region is studied in more detail. The history of studying rhabdomesids, their taphonomy and paleoecology, morphology and classification, and the dynamics of the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of rhabdomesid genera and species are discussed. A phenomenon of polymerization in the development of the subfamily Ascoporinae Gorjunova subfam. nov. has been discovered for the first time. Sixty-eight rhabdomesid species (31 new), 24 genera (8 new), belonging to six subfamilies (one new), eight familie, and three suborders are described.