Aspidastraea clathrata ( Goldfuss, 1826 )

Baron-Szabo, Rosemarie C., 2008, Dendrophylliina, Caryophylliina, Fungiina, Microsolenina, and Stylinina, Zootaxa 1952, pp. 1-244 : 178

Aspidastraea clathrata ( Goldfuss, 1826)

Pl. 16, fig. 3

v*1826 Astrea clathrata nobis: Goldfuss, vol. 1, p. 67, pl. 23, fig. 1.

1850 Synastrea clathrata: d’Orbigny , vol. 2, p. 278.

1881 Astraea clathrata Goldfuss =Quenstedt, p. 860.

v1925 Thamnstraea clathrata Goldfuss sp.: Umbgrove, p. 110.

1999 Synastrea clathrata: Leloux , p. 193, fig. 2.

2000 Synastrea clathrata ( Goldfuss 1826) : Löser, p. 77.

2002 Synastrea clathrata ( Goldfuss, 1826) : Baron-Szabo, p. 140.

Dimensions. c-c= 6–30 mm; s (secondary corallites)=around 12; s (main corallite)= around 60; s/mm=18–20/ 10.

Description. Cast of cupulate corallum; central corallite about 10 mm in diameter, around which secondary corallites are arranged in irregular concentric series; secondary corallites 2–3 mm in diameter; septa porous to subcompact, confluent; synapticulae very abundant. Due to the problematic preservation of the specimen, exact dimensions of skeletal elements cannot be determined.

Remarks. The systematic position of Astrea clathrata Goldfuss has been discussed for more than a century. D’Orbigny (1850) assumed that it was a thamnasterioid colony with subcompact septa typical of Synastrea . Quenstedt (1881, p. 860) stated that this specimen was more like a solitary coral of the Fungia -type because originally the septa were porous. The preservation of the holotype of Astrea clathrata Goldfuss , as a steinkern cast, made it possible to determine that the original skeleton was indeed very porous. Moreover, it very much resembles a solitary form. However, as shown in Fig. 3, Pl. 16, the central corallite appears surrounded by several very small, secondary corallites, that are in a very early ontogenetical stage (see Baron- Szabo 2003, pl. 25, figs 2–4), thus completely agreeing with the genus Aspidastraea . Therefore, the assignment to the latter group is indicated.

Type locality of species. Upper Maastrichtian of The Netherlands .

Distribution. Upper Maastrichtian of The Netherlands.