Scrupocellaria cf. elliptica ( Reuss, 1847 )

Moissette, Pierre, Antonarakou, Assimina, Kontakiotis, George, Cornée, Jean-Jacques & Karakitsios, Vasileios, 2021, Bryozoan faunas at the Tortonian-Messinian transition. A palaeoenvironmental case study from Crete Island, eastern Mediterranean, Geodiversitas 43 (26), pp. 1365-1400 : 1382-1383

Scrupocellaria cf. elliptica ( Reuss, 1847)

( Fig. 10 A-C)

Bactridium ellipticum Reuss, 1847: 56, pl. 9, fig. 7-8.

Scrupocellaria elliptica – Reuss 1874: 148, pl. 11, figs 1-9. — Moissette 1988: 106, pl. 16, figs 5, 8. — Schmid 1989: 23, pl. 5, figs 1-7. — Zágoršek 2010a: 46, pl. 52, figs 1-6.

Scrupocellaria sp. – Berning 2006: 32, figs 27-29.

OCCURRENCE. — Middle Miocene: Austria ( Schmid 1989), Czech Republic ( Zágoršek 2010a). Late Miocene: Algeria ( Moissette 1988), Spain ( Berning 2006).

DESCRIPTION

Cellariiform colony. Each segment consists of two alternating series of about five zooids. Gymnocyst smooth. Oval opesia occupying approximately one half of the zooecial length.Two large septula are discernible in the distal part of the opesial margin. Four spine bases occur on the outer distal part of the opesia and three on the inner angle, accompanied by one slightly larger scutal spine (scutum rarely preserved, covering almost half the opesia). No frontal avicularium. Lateral avicularia triangular and well developed. Dorsal surface showing small triangular vibracularia and radicular pores. No observed ovicells.

REMARKS

As noted by Schmid (1989) and Berning (2006), many fossil Scrupocellaria specimens have been mistakenly assigned to S. elliptica . Partly due to a frequent poor state of preservation this has been accompanied by insufficient description and illustration, notably concerning the presence and number of spine bases. Spines are not alluded to in Reuss (1847), but mentioned and partly illustrated in Reuss (1874). Although not reported, spines are visible on some specimens of the late Miocene of Algeria ( Moissette 1988: pl. 16, fig. 8) on. Scutum and spines (at least 5) are clearly observable on the middle Miocene material ( Schmid 1989: pl. 5, fig. 2 and fig. 4, respectively). Six spines (+scutum) are reported and illustrated by Berning (2006). Zágoršek (2010b) describes “spines often arranged in 4-5 pairs”. A revision of Neogene Mediterranean/ Paratethys Scrupocellaria is thus strongly necessary, notably to confirm the attribution of specimens with seven oral spines to S. elliptica . A new approach to the taxonomy of the polyphyletic genus Scrupocellaria has been presented byVieira et al. (2014).

Figures

FIG. 10. — A-C, Scrupocellaria cf. elliptica (Reuss, 1847);A, view of some zooids showing opesia with 4 spine bases on the outer distal part and 3 spine bases + 1 scutal spine on the inner distal rim, FAN36:AMPG(IV) 3587; B, zooids with 7 spine bases and the scutum, FAN35:AMPG(IV) 3586a; C, dorsal surface of a colony fragment with small vibracularia and radicular pores, FAN35: AMPG(IV) 3586b; D, E, Scrupocellaria scrupea Busk, 1852; D, ovicellate colony fragment, FAN35: AMPG(IV) 3590a; E, detail frontal view showing opesia with five spine bases, FAN35: AMPG(IV) 3590b; F-H, Cellaria salicornioides Lamouroux, 1816; F, part of a slender internode, FAN18: AMPG(IV) 3513a; G, detail view showing denticles and endotoichal ovicells, POTB13: AMPG(IV) 2821a; H, avicularia in frontal and lateral view (arrow), POTB13:AMPG(IV) 2821b; I, Gemellipora eburnea Smitt, 1873, broken internode showing two zooids with two oval scars separated by a thin interzooidal groove, CAP032: AMPG(IV) 3426. Scale bars: A-E, G, I, 100 µm; F, H, 200 µm.