Penniretepora afghanica, Ernst & Senowbari-Daryan & Hamedani, 2006

Ernst, Andrej, Senowbari-Daryan, Baba & Hamedani, Ali, 2006, Middle Permian Bryozoa from the Lakaftari area, northeast of Esfahan (central Iran), Geodiversitas 28 (4), pp. 543-590 : 564

Penniretepora afghanica n. sp. ( Fig. 8 D-F; Table 19)

Penniretepora sp. – Termier & Termier 1971: 47, pl. 32, figs 4, 5.

HOLOTYPE. — SMF 2114 .

ETYMOLOGY. — The species name refers to its first description from the Upper Permian of Afghanistan ( Termier & Termier 1971).

PARATYPE. — 4-15-11.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Lakaftari, central Iran.

TYPE LEVEL. — Jamal Formation, Middle Permian.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — 4-8, 4-11-1, 10-2-11, 14-1.

OCCURRENCE. — Afghanistan; Middle Permian (Murgabian). Lakaftari: central Iran, Jamal Formation, Middle Permian.

DESCRIPTION

Straight main branch with frequently diverging secondary branches. Main branches 0.3-0.42 mm wide, secondary branches 0.21-0.32 mm wide, spaced 4-5 on 5 mm distance. Apertures circular, arranged in two rows both on the main and secondary branches; 2-3 apertures on the space between the two neighboring secondary branches, spaced 14-16 on 5 mm distance along the branches. Keel low, undulating, developed both on the main branch and secondary branches.Low oval nodes on the keel, 0.05-0.07 mm wide, spaced 0.33-0.47 mm from each other. Reverse side of the colony ribbed. Small microstylets in the outer laminated skeleton.

INTERIOR DESCRIPTION

Autozooecia rectangular in the middle tangential section. Short superior hemiseptum present; inferior hemiseptum absent.

COMPARISON

The new species is morphologically similar to Penniretepora waltheri Korn, 1930 from Zechstein of Europe. The two species have similar autozooecial shape, differing in main branch thickness (0.30- 0.56 vs. 0.30-0.42 mm in P. afghanica n. sp.), and the spacing of autozooecial apertures. P. triporosa Crockford, 1944 from the Lower Permian of Western Australia has similar colony dimensions ( Crockford 1944b). However, the inner structure of this species is unknown, and it possesses widely spaced nodes on the main branches (nodes spacing is 0.80-1.60 vs. 0.33-0.47 mm in P. afghanica n. sp.).

Figures

FIG. 8. — A-C, Septopora flabellata Nikiforova,1933;A, 1-7-4, longitudinal section showing autozooecial chambers and cyclozooecia; B, 20-5-4,longitudinal section showing autozooecial chambers,cyclozooecia and the outer laminated skeleton with microacanthostyles; C, 1-3-1, cross section showing autozooecial chambers and cyclozooecia; D-F, Penniretepora afghanica n. sp.; D, paratype 14, free colony;E, 10-2-11, tangential section;F, holotype SMF 2114,tangential section; G-K, Mackinneyella praepluriformis (Morozova,1965); G, 24-5-2, deep tangential section showing autozooecial chambers; H, 24-5-2, tangential section showing autozooecial apertures, nodes and hyaline rods; I, 25-12-1, tangential section; J, 16-1, fragment of the colony; K, 16-1-4, cross section of the branch; L, M, Mackinneyella dzhulfensis (Morozova, 1965); L, 13b, cross section of the branch; M, 13, fragment of the colony. Scale bas: A-C, G, K, L, 0.5 mm; D, 2 mm; E, 1 mm; F, 0.25 mm; H, 0.1 mm; I, J, M, 10 mm.