Rhombopora corticata Moore, 1929

Ernst, Andrej & Minwegen, Elke, 2006, Late Carboniferous bryozoans from La Hermida, Spain, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 51 (3), pp. 569-588 : 579-581

Rhombopora corticata Moore, 1929

Fig. 6B, C; Table 9.

1929 Rhombopora corticata sp. nov.; Moore 1929: 137, pl. 17: 3, 4; text−fig. 4i, j.

1995 Rhombopora corticata Moore, 1929 ; Sakagami 1995: 262, figs. 1: 7, 8; 2: 1, 2.

2005 Rhombopora corticata Moore, 1929 ; Ernst et al. 2005: 307–309, pl. 2: 2, pl. 3: 6.

Material.— SMF 1741, 1756 (and three additional fragments).

Description.—Ramose branched colonies, 1.41–2.03 mm in diameter. Autozooecial apertures oval, arranged in regular diagonal rows, spaced 3 in 2 mm distance longitudinally and 6 in the same distance diagonally. Paurostyles 0.030 –0.054 mm in diameter, arranged in a single row between autozooecia building a regular rhombic pattern. Single large acanthostyles positioned in interspaces between apertures at angles of hexagons of smaller paurostyles, having pale sheaths and dark cores, 0.06–0.08 mm in diameter.

Discussion.— Rhombopora corticata Moore, 1929 is similar to R. lepidondroides Meek, 1872 . It differs from the latter species in having larger colonies with a wider exozone as well as larger and more widely spaced apertures.

Stratigraphic and geographic range.—Picos de Europa Formation, Moscovian, Upper Carboniferous; La Hermida, Spain. San Emiliano Formation, Upper Carboniferous (Westphalian B/C); Spain. Upper Carboniferous Graham Formation (Pennsylvanian) of Texas, USA. Pseudoschwagerina Zone of Bolivia.