Brachycaulia Beauvais, 1982

Löser, Hannes, 2013, Revision of the family Felixaraeidae (Scleractinia; Cretaceous), Geodiversitas 35 (4), pp. 747-765 : 750-751

Genus Brachycaulia Beauvais, 1982

TYPE SPECIES. — Brachycaulia jacobi Beauvais, 1982 by monotypy.

DIAGNOSIS. — Astreoid colony with large calices. Radial elements irregularly perforated. Microstructure of large trabeculae. Radial elements in cross-section externally thick, becoming thinner towards the centre. Symmetry of radial elements is irregularly radial. Cycles of radial elements irregular, but generations can be distinguished. Septal generations differ in length and thickness. First septal generation reaches to the centre of the calice; further generations are subsequently shorter. Radial elements occasionally connected to each other. Septal upper border unknown, lateral face with thick granulae, inner margin unknown. Pali or paliform lobes absent. Costae present, nonconfluent, short. Synapticulae present, abundant. Columella unknown. Endotheca unknown. Wall absent. Coenosteum very narrow. Budding unknown, very probably extracalicinal.

DISTRIBUTION. — Late Santonian of the Western Tethys.

SYSTEMATIC POSITION

Beauvais (1982) included the genera Brachyphyllia Reuss, 1854 and Brachycaulia in the family Brachyphylliidae , suborder Fungiina . Brachyphyllia is a faviid genus with compact radial elements composed of medium size trabeculae (based on the syntype NHMW 1864/0040/1305 of the type species Brachyphyllia dormitzeri Reuss, 1854 ).

SPECIES

Beauvais (1982) included three species: Brachycaulia felixi Beauvais, 1982 , Brachycaulia glomerata ( Reuss, 1854) and Brachycaulia jacobi Beauvais, 1982 . Data can only be provided for the type species. Brachycaulia felixi is based on a small sample originally illustrated by Felix (1903) as Brachyphyllia haueri ( Reuss, 1854) in reference to Pleurocora haueri Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 in Reuss (1854), for which Milne Edwards (1857) established the new species Pleurocora reussi Milne Edwards, 1857 . Later, Baron-Szabo (2000) included the sample illustrated by Felix (1903) in the synonymy of Brachyphyllia felixi Baron-Szabo, 2000 . Brachyphyllia felixi Baron-Szabo, 2000 is therefore a junior objective synonym of Brachycaulia felixi . The small type specimen of Brachycaulia felixi (GBA nn) shows only one calice with a polished surface. It is possibly a member of the family Felixaraeidae ; however, because of its plocoid growth form and the poor knowledge of its morphology, it remains a questionable species of uncertain position.The type of Brachycaulia glomerata (NHMW 1864/0040/1306) is a well preserved but small specimen without any polished surface.Its systematic position is unknown. The radial elements are almost uniform in thickness and the ornamentation of the septal upper margin is very regular, which is also uncommon for the family Felixaraeidae .

REMARKS

The new species and genus were figured by Alloiteau (1957) but not described. Formal combined description of the genus and species is attributed to Beauvais (1982). The genus is similar to Pseudofavia but differs by having much thinner and more abundant radial elements. The type sample is not available at the MNHN; only two thin sections are available. The nature of the endotheca and the calicular centre could not be discerned from the available thin sections.

Brachycaulia jacobi Beauvais, 1982 ( Fig. 2G )

Brachycaulia jacobi Beauvais, 1982: 228 , II (v).

Brachycaulia Jacobi – Alloiteau 1957: pl. 2: 6, pl. 11: 2, pl. 19: 10 (v).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — MNHN.F.R10975 (holotype) with two thin sections.

DIMENSIONS. — c 17-18 mm, s 120.

OCCURRENCE. — France, Aude: Les Corbières, Sougraigne, Croutets (Upper Santonian).

Figures

FIG. 2. — A-D, Marcelohelia caribbiensis n. gen.,n. sp., holotype (IGM 8724);A, transversal thin section; B, colony surface;C, transversal thin section, detail; D, longitudinal thin section; E, F, Marcelohelia sp. (USNM #411); E, transversal thin section; F, longitudinal thin section; G, Brachycaulia jacobi Beauvais, 1982, holotype (MNHN.F.R10975), transversal thin section; H, I, Paracycloseris elizabethae Wells,1934;H, holotype (USNM I-74489),oral view;I, USNM J71-128b,transversal thin section.Scale bars:A,B, D-I,10 mm;C, 3 mm.