Spongiocoenia, Vasseur & Lathuilière, 2021

Vasseur, Raphaël & Lathuilière, Bernard, 2021, Pliensbachian corals from the Western Tethys, Geodiversitas 43 (22), pp. 1187-1291 : 1238

Genus Spongiocoenia n. gen.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:41CED0DF-4AD3-4F29-BBFA-55A99C480CA3

TYPE SPECIES. — Coccophyllum liasicum Turnšek & Geyer in Turnšek, Seyfried & Geyer, 1975.

DIAGNOSIS. — Colonial massive or ramose colony with calices separated by a porous coenosteum. Spine-like, smooth septa. Columella and endotheca absent. Synapticulothecal wall. Extracalicular budding.

ETYMOLOGY. — Refers to the spongious nature of the coenosteum. Turnšek & Geyer (inTurnšek et al. 1975) placed their species within the genus Coccophyllum Reuss, 1865 , family Stylophyllidae Frech 1890 (in fact they attribute erroneously the family to Volz 1896). Coccophyllum is a cerioid genus and we cannot place the present genus within the family Stylophyllidae with the capacity to produce such a spongious coenosteum, which recalls more non-scleractinian corals like Plagiosolenacis Alloiteau, 1957 and Paleomillepora Gabilly & Lafuste, 1957. Turnšek et al. (1975) noticed the proximity with Helioporid octocorallians.