Axosmilia Milne Edwards, 1848

Vasseur, Raphaël & Lathuilière, Bernard, 2021, Pliensbachian corals from the Western Tethys, Geodiversitas 43 (22), pp. 1187-1291 : 1198

Genus Axosmilia Milne Edwards, 1848

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:561BD0F8-08B6-4FCD-A050-3319A15E0CFE

Axosmilia Milne Edwards, 1848: 467 .

Pleurosmilia Fromentel, 1856: 853 .

Axotrochus Beauvais, 1986: 23 .

Parapleurosmilia Beauvais, 1986: 15 .

TYPE SPECIES. — Caryophyllia extinctorium Michelin, 1841 ( Michelin 1841: 9, pl. 2, fig. 3b), by monotypy.

REMARKS

Roniewicz (2008) differentiated Pleurosmilia Fromentel, 1856 and Axosmilia on the basis of the presence of exsert septa ( Pleurosmilia ) or an infundibuliform calice ( Axosmilia ). Given that some transition exists we choose here to consider this variability as intrageneric among the genus Axosmilia . In addition, the distinction is not supported by the type material of Pleurosmilia that shows an infundibuliform calice.

Beauvais (1986) made a distinction between Parapleurosmilia Beauvais, 1986 and Pleurosmilia Fromentel, 1856 based on the presence of a mid-septal line with calcification centers distant of approximately 20 micrometers and sparse lateral centers of calcification in the type material of Pleurosmilia but this argument is weak considering the preservation of the material used to create Parapleurosmilia that does not allow to confirm the lack of such structures.