Patulibrachiidae Pessagno, 1971

Dumitrica, Paulian, 2019, Cenozoic Spumellarian Radiolaria With Eccentric Microsphere, Acta Palaeontologica Romaniae 15 (1), pp. 39-60 : 47

Family Patulibrachiidae Pessagno, 1971 , emend Dumitrica, 2001 in De Wever et al.

Type genus. Patulibracchium Pessagno, 1971 .

Remarks. In an emendation of the family Patulibracchiidae Pessagno (Dumitrica in De Wever et al. 2001, p. 142-143) based on the study of the initial skeleton, I included in this family 5 genera, of which 4 are known from early Jurassic to latest Cretaceous. The only Cenozoic genus was Trimanicula Dumitrică . According to the definition, all members of this family have 3 arms developed along the three primary rays (two lateral and one antapical) and a very small heptagonal microsphere. In this article I describe, from the early Paleocene, a new genus, Cryptomanicula n. gen., with a circular spongodiscid shaped discoidal or slightly lenticular shell, and an initial skeleton similar to that of Trimanicula , but without arms. This is the only case of armless Patulibracchiidae , which proves the priority of initial skeleton over external morphology in taxonomy. This proves also that for most Cenozoic radiolarians, which have the skeleton preserved in opal, their study in transmitted light is the best method for the knowledge of internal structure.