Poculinapora spathulipes, Dumitrica & Zügel, 2003

Dumitrica, Paulian & Zügel, Peter, 2003, Lower Tithonian mono- and dicyrtid Nassellaria (Radiolaria) from the Solnhofen area (southern Germany), Geodiversitas 25 (1), pp. 5-72 : 68-69

Poculinapora spathulipes n. sp. ( Figs 31 ; 32C, E )

HOLOTYPE. — MNHN, bât. de Géologie, No. Gg 2001/2119 ( Figs 31 ; 32C ).

PARATYPE. — MNHN, bât. de Géologie, No. Gg 2001/2120 ( Fig. 32E ).

ETYMOLOGY. — From the Latin spathula: spatula; and pes: foot.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Two specimens from the type horizon (sample Mue 22).

DIMENSIONS ( IN µM). — Total length of shell with horn and feet 300-330, of apical horn 60, of cephalis 35, of thorax 70-75, of feet 130-150; width of cephalis 40-60, of thorax 95-130.

DESCRIPTION

Cephalis small, globular, imperforate with a weakly pustulate surface. Apical horn triradiate with very short subsidiary spines and a short distal spine. Dorsal blade with a pair of subsidiary spines arising a little lower than on the two lateral blades. Tube along ventral groove funnel-like with oblique border, lower ventrally and higher dorsally. Ventral spine thick externally, below the collar stricture or almost not marked. Thorax thick-walled, hemispherical, with five to seven transverse rows of circular pores. Pore frames thick with strong nodes at vertices. Nodes free or interconnected by a spongy network covering the thorax and cephalis. Feet long, three-bladed, slightly diverging and slightly curved with distal ends rounded, spathulate. Velum well developed between feet.

REMARKS

Morphologically Poculinapora spathulipes n. gen., n. sp. is close to P. poculigera n. gen., n. sp. from which it differs by having a short ventral horn and subsidiary spines on blades. Feet of both species are rather similar but the spatula of the feet of this new species is wider. By the morphology of the apical horn, that still preserves the crown of subsidiary spines of Napora , this species and P. espinosa n. comb. seem to be the most primitive of the genus Poculinapora n. gen. The species is based on the holotype and paratype; the former is longer and narrower, the latter is shorter, thick- er, and has the cephalis and thorax covered with a layer of spongy fabric.

Figures

FIG. 31. — Poculinapora spathulipes n. gen., n. sp., holotype, left lateral view. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.

FIG. 32. — Apical horns of Poculinapora n. gen.; A, P. espinosa n. comb., right lateral view; B, P. tripartita n. gen., n. sp., holotype, right lateral view; C, E, P. spathulipes n. gen., n. sp., holotype and paratype in left lateral and right lateral views respectively; D, P. poculigera n. gen., n. sp., paratype, left lateral view; F, P. marsupiala n. gen., n. sp., paratype, left lateral view. All arrows point to the opening of the tube along the apical horn. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.