Description of Class Rotaliata Mikhalevich, 1980:
Shells multichambered only, all regular types of chamber arrangement well presented (glomerate type nearly absent), mostly trochospiral, planospiral and derived from both of them biserial and triserial ones (rarely secondarily uniserial), in advanced forms often cyclical; inner complications of chamber lumen are strongly developed: from thickened layers of the wall of different structure (labyrinthic, spongy, alveolar) and pillars in Textulariana up to septa and septula (of the first and second order) in higher representatives of both subclasses; in advanced forms of both subclasses chamber number could increase to several hundreds and thousands, and in this case they are often differentiated in their structure into central, median and peripheral layers (Orbitolina, Nummulites); additional skeletal plates above the sutures and umbilicus are common, especially in higher Rotaliata; integrative systems strongly developed (stolons, tunnels and the interconnected inner apertural systems in Textulariana, stolons, inner interconnected apertural systems and very complex canal systems in Rotaliana); wall in Textulariana monofontinal, agglutinated and microgranular, with pseudopores, with various complication of the inner wall, which could be cancellate, alveolar, spongy, in Rotaliana - bifontinal, with true regular pores, having cylindrical pore canaliculi with some transverse sieve plates besides the basal one; growth interrupted, the contours of every new chamber forming entirely at once, organic and lime secretion are divided in time, alternating ; aperture usually at the base of the apertural face (basal) both in coiled and in some biserial and triserial forms(in the last ones could became secondarily final), may also be areal and sieve-like, may have various inner structures (especially developed in Rotaliana, but occurring in Textulariana also): tooth-plates, subcylindrical or closed cylindrical plates, tongues, valves, which could be interconnected and could form a single system, additional apertures also well developed in both subclasses (sutural, umbilical, peripheral); agamonts of the higher Rotaliana (in Textulariana insufficiently studied) multinucleate, heterokariotic, gametes biflagellate (Glabratella has several somatic nuclei and threeflagellate gametes). Mostly free living, bottom forms, rarely attached, some parasitic species are known. Devonian - Holocene.

Description of Subclass Textulariana Mikhalevich, 1980:
Shells with one of the Rotaliata's types of chamber arrangement and of apertural structure; wall monofontinal, agglutinated or microgranular, may be complicated from the inside (thickening of the wall, pillars, septa), in many forms pseudopores and canaliculi (sometimes branching) are marked, sculpture of the outer shell surface non developed, but additional skeletal plates in umbilical area could be present; in advanced forms with the grate number of chambers integrative systems are present (stolons, tunnels); inner apertural structures similar to that ones of Rotaliana but less developed. Devon - Holocene.