Cladophyllia
Milne Edwards, 1851, 2: 363
Type Species
Lithodendron dichotomum Goldfuss, 1826: 44, pl. 13, figs. 3a, b; Original Designation Milne Edwards, 1851, 2: 363
Type Specimen: Syntype; IPB ; Verified; Dry Preserved
In recent literature, the type material represented by forma flexuosa and forma parallela, was described and figured in Beauvais 1964: pl.2: 6a, b, and Morycowa and Roniewicz 1990: 175, text-fig. 1.4, pl. 18: 1-3.
Classification
Synonyms
Diagnosis
Phaceloid; corallum from fascicular to arborescent. Increase by septal division with dichotomic forking of corallites. Symmetry radial-bilateral of the calice. Septa non-exsert, calicular edge sharp. Septal faces with sharp, small granules. Inner margin with regular, auricular denticles. Interseptal anastomosis present. Columella monotrabecular, frequently linked with one septum determining in this way the plane of symmetry of the septal appartus. Endotheca composed of tabuloid dissepiments and incomplete ring of peripheral dissepiments. Wall epithecal. Microstructure of septa trabecular, trabeculae of 30-80 µm in diameter.
Description
Description of the type species and discussion on generic content, with illustrations, were presented by Morycowa and Roniewicz, 1990. Recently, Lathuiliere 2000: provided a modern re-description, illustrations and a clarification of synonymy of Early Bajocian C. babeana (d’Orbigny), stratigraphically the earliest known species of the genus.
Comparisons
Related to Apocladophyllia Morycowa and Roniewicz 1990, from which it differs in well accentuated bilateral symmetry of septal apparatus and in a lack of external apophyses between the corallites. Genus Halysitastraea Geyer, 1968, similar in bilateral septal apparatus, has corallites partly connected by extracalicular skeletal apophyses into dismembered chains. No division of the calices was observed in this genus, so far.
Remarks
In the literature concerning the Mesozoic, the number of corals named Cladophyllia is high (see Morycowa and Roniewicz, 1990). From this number no more than 10 species, ranging from the Bajocian to the Albian, show the features indicated in the generic diagnosis.
Distribution
- Western Europe; Middle Jurassic - Late Jurassic
In addition to above, known from Madagascar, South America. Middle Jurassic – Cretaceous.This page has been in preparation since 07-May-2009 09:58
This version was contributed by Ewa Roniewicz on 27-Nov-2010 14:48.
Page authors are: Ewa Roniewicz Rosemarie Baron-Szabo. Please contact the editor if you would like to contribute to the diagnosis of this taxon.
The editor is: Bernard Lathuilière
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