Polypora M’Coy, 1844

Ernst, Andrej, Wyse Jackson, Patrick N. & Aretz, Markus, 2015, Bryozoan fauna from the Mississippian (Visean) of Roque Redonde (Montagne Noire, southern France), Geodiversitas 37 (2), pp. 151-213 : 190

Genus Polypora M’Coy, 1844

TYPE SPECIES. — Polypora dendroides M’Coy, 1844 , by subsequent designation of Vine (1884: 194). Lower Carboniferous; Ireland.

DIAGNOSIS. — Reticulate colonies of different shape built by straight or slightly undulating, bifurcating branches, joined at regular intervals by

straight dissepiments without autozooecia.Autozooecia arranged in four alternating rows on branches, 5-6 rows before and 2-3 after bifurcation. Autozooecial chambers tubular, short, having weakly developed inferior hemisepta and short vestibule, regularly hexagonal in mid tangential section. Autozooecial apertures rounded. Keels between longitudinal rows of autozooecia weakly developed or absent. Microacanthostyles and nodes usually present on obverse surface (after Morozova 2001).

OCCURRENCE. — Lower Devonian to Upper Permian; worldwide.

COMPARISON

Polypora M’Coy, 1844 is similar to Paucipora Termier & Termier, 1971 . The latter has well developed hemisepta and shorter autozooecia. Polypora differs from Polyporella Simpson, 1895 in presence of four rows of autozooecia on branches instead of three in the latter genus.