Eocomoseris aff. ramosa ( Frech, 1890 )

Roniewicz, Ewa, 2011, Early Norian (Triassic) corals from the Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria, and the intra-Norian faunal turnover, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 56 (2), pp. 401-428 : 424

Eocomoseris aff. ramosa ( Frech, 1890)

Fig. 7F.

Material.—Small fragments of colonies in detrital limestone, GBA 2009/019/3 and 2009/019/4.

Measurements (in mm if not stated otherwise): Description.—Colonies thin−branched (fragments of 13 mm in diameter), thamnasterioid, formed by small, densely crowded corallites. Septa short, regularly perforated, built of 3–4 trabeculae, pores of the diameter similar to the diameter of trabeculae. Columella monotrabecular. Menianes are continuous, regularly distributed.

Remarks.—This early Norian Alpine taxon is here considered to be related to the Rhaetian E. ramosa ( Frech, 1890) . Unfortunately, the original description of the Rhaetian Spongiomorpha (Hexastylopsis) ramosa Frech (1890: 76 , text−figs. a–e) gives only the most general information on the ramous habit of colonies and the horizontal flanges on the septa, without providing any species−specific features. It points to a resemblance of the septal flanges to those in Astraeomorpha .

This Alpine coral resembles two Early Jurassic species from the South−East Pamirs in Tajikistan: Eocomoseris lamellata Melnikova, 1993 (shown herein for comparison with the Alpine species in Fig. 7G), and E. gurumdyensis nom. nov. (see the Nomenclatorial note below, and the Measurements above).

Stratigraphic and geographic range.— Austria: Northern Calcareous Alps, Dachstein Plateau, north of Feisterscharte, lower Norian, Epigondolella quadrata Conodont Zone.

Nomenclatorial note.— E. gurumdyensis nom. nov.: holotype housed at the Institute of Geology, Dushanbe, IGD/8−Zch; type locality: Zurchiertsek Valley, SE Pamirs, type horizon: Hettangian/Sinemurian bed, the lowermost sequence of the Gurumdy Svite in the Zurchiertsek Valley .

Eocomoseris gurumdyensis is a new name introduced herein to replace E. ramosa Melnikova, 1993 , a junior subjective homonym of Spongiomorpha (Heptastylopsis) ramosa Frech, 1890 , which is herein assigned to Eocomoseris .