Solenonychocella Voigt and Williams, 1973

Taylor, Paul D., Martha, Silviu O. & Gordon, Dennis P., 2018, Synopsis of ‘ onychocellid’ cheilostome bryozoan genera, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 52 (25 - 26), pp. 1657-1721 : 1703-1704

Genus Solenonychocella Voigt and Williams, 1973

( Figure 30 )

Type species

Solenonychocella hennigi Voigt and Williams, 1973 , by original designation. Cretaceous (late Campanian), Hemmingslycke, Scania, Sweden .

Diagnosis

Colony erect, bifoliate, vincularian to palmate. Autozooids tubular with hexagonal frontal outline, opesia occupying about half of frontal surface, more or less central; subcircular ( Figure 30 ). Cryptocyst deeply sloping into opesia, with circumopesial peripheral cavities ( Figure 30 (c)). Gymnocyst lacking. Ovicells unknown. Avicularia rare ( Figure 30 (b)), vicarious, basal, half the width of an autozooid, bilaterally symmetrical; opesia longitudinally elongated ovoidal, occupying most of the frontal surface.

Remarks

Solenonychocella is an unusual and currently monospecific genus represented only by the type species. It differs from the otherwise similar Inversaria , and from all onychocellid genera, mainly in the opesia being located centrally and showing frequent peripheral caverns ( Figure 30 (d)). It also differs from Inversaria in showing a distinct endozone and lacking multizonal growth.

Range

Cretaceous (Santonian to Campanian).

Figures

Figure 30. Solenonychocella hennigi Voigt and Williams. (a,b) holotype, SMF 24512; Cretaceous, early Campanian, Maltesholms slot, near Kristianstad, Scania, Sweden; (a) colony surface; (b) autozooids and an avicularium (arrowed). (c,d) NHMUK D53151(a); Cretaceous, Campanian, Båstad, Scania, Sweden; (c) group of autozooids with circumopesial cavities; (d) autozooid. Scale bars: a = 1 mm; b, c = 500 µm; d = 200 µm.