Thecoseris

Fromentel and Ferry, 1869, pl.58

Type Species

Thecoseris patellata Fromentel and Ferry 1869, pl.58 fig. 2; Subsequent Designation Fromentel 1870, p. 367

Type Specimen: Syntype; ?; Lost; Unknown

Type Locality: Middle Lias from an unknown locality in the Fromentel’s papers. Domerian of May (Calvados, France) according to Vaughan and Wells 1943.

The first citation of the type-species is T. patella (Fromentel 1869). No text was accompanying the figure. In 1870, Fromentel designated T. patellata as the type species of the genus. The syntypes were searched in MNHN Paris without success.

Description

Solitary corallum. Thick folded epitheca. Corallite subcircular in outline. Rounded central fossa sometimes filled by inner edges of septa. Radial elements are thin, numerous, often anastomosed, never exsert, slightly sinuous, subequal in thickness and finely denticulate. synapticulae present (from Fromentel’s figure of 1869 and text of 1870).

Remarks

Thecoseris is a conceptual badly known genus. No type and even no specimen of the Liassic type-species is presently available. Koby 1887 placed Thecoseris in the Microsolenidae and then it is difficult to make a difference with Trocharaea. Vaughan and Wells 1943 and then Wells 1956 placed it in the Procyclolitidae but we don’t know on what specimen the assignation is based. Despite the absence of initial written description the genus was successful. 17 Jurassic (Lathuilière 1989) and 5 Cretaceous (Löser 2000) nominal species. Most of these species were never cited more than one time.

Distribution

• Western Europe, Southern Europe, North Africa, South Asia; Early Jurassic - Early Cretaceous

This page has been in preparation since 20-Aug-2009 09:31

This version was contributed by Bernard Lathuilière on 21-Jul-2011 14:18.

Page authors are: Bernard Lathuilière. Please contact the editor if you would like to contribute to the diagnosis of this taxon.

The editor is: Bernard Lathuilière