Fungiaphyllia rotunda, Vasseur & Lathuilière, 2021

Vasseur, Raphaël & Lathuilière, Bernard, 2021, Pliensbachian corals from the Western Tethys, Geodiversitas 43 (22), pp. 1187-1291 : 1217

Fungiaphyllia rotunda n. sp.

( Fig. 19 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8458DCF1-86C1-47B5-BD41-575B07A62857

Funginella ? sp. 1 – Vasseur 2018: 199-200, fig. 3.39.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: CPUN AM16162-9; paratypes: CPUN DA3105E2-1, DA3105E2-2, DA3105E2-3, DA3105E2-4, DA3105E2-5, DA3105E2-7, CPUN AM16124; CPUN AM16179-1. STUDIED SAMPLES. — Nine specimens: CPUN DA3105E2-1, DA3105E2-2,DA3105E2-3,DA3105E2-4,DA3105E2-5,DA3105E2-7, CPUN AM16124, CPUN AM16162-9, CPUN AM16179-1.

ETYMOLOGY. — Refers to the perfectly round shape of the skeleton in transverse section, without costae.

TYPE HORIZON. — Upper Pliensbachian . TYPE LOCALITY. — Amellagou , High Atlas of Morocco. GEOGRAPHIC AND STRATIGRAPHIC RANGES. — Pliensbachian of Dades Valley and Amellagou ( High Atlas of Morocco).

DESCRIPTION

Solitary,discoid to subhemispheric corallite.Subcompact, straight or curved septa often contratingent,giving to the septal apparatus a typical branching aspect. Lateral faces with irregular granules sometimes flattened and protruding or looking like small sharp spines.Distal edge with sharp-edged teeth made by the projection of trabeculae. No columella observed. Endotheca made of thin vesicular dissepiments. Granules of neighbouring septa sometimes joining in synapticulae. The wall seems synapticulothecal. Calicular diameter: 4 to 20 mm – Number of septa: 64 to 120 – Septal density: 13 to 20 for 5 mm.

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

Fungiaphyllia praecursor n. sp. differs from F. rotunda n. sp. by its long first-orders costae that exceed the periphery of the calice, a very rare endotheca and a more distal living environment. Fungiaphyllia communis seems to have a lower septal density in comparison with F. rotunda n. sp. but more samples could reveal an intraspecific variability meaning a synonymy between the two species.

Figures

FIG. 19. — Fungiaphyllia rotunda n. sp.: A, distal view of the specimen CPUN AM16162-9; B: transverse thin section in the specimen CPUN DA3105E2-1 (skeleton in light); C, detail in transverse section of the specimen CPUN AM16179-1;D, longitudinal section of the specimen CPUN DA3105E2-2; E, specimen pictured in the field (N31.5682106,W5.8937588);F, longitudinal radial section of the specimen CPUN DA3105E2-2;G, distal view of the specimen CPUN AM16124-3;H, longitudinal section in the specimen CPUN AM16179-1; I, proximal view of the specimen CPUN AM16124-3.Scale bars:A, 1 cm;B, 4 mm; C,D, F, 2 mm;E,3 mm;G,H,I, 5 mm.