ABSTRACT: Awell-preserved new specimen of Granorotalia sublobata from the type population shows the presence of spines in the microspheric generation, the same as for Ornatorotalia spinosa. The spines are irregularly distributed along the periphery of the test. The discovery of this taxonomic character points to a systematic redefinition, in which the two genera are assigned to a new family Ornatorotaliidae, in the superfamily Rotaliacea. Aside from the microspheric spinosity, Ornatorotaliids are characterized among rotaliaceans by a complex enveloping canal system, vertical funnels in both ventral and dorsal sides of the tests, umbilical flap or toothplate, and the absence of folia.