Filites Počta, 1894

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 : 194

Genus Filites Počta in Barrande, 1894

TYPE SPECIES. — Filites bohemicus Počta in Barrande , 1894 by original designation. Lower Devonian ; Czech Republic.

DIAGNOSIS. — Colonies consisting of straight main branches with frequent lateral branches; two rows of autozooecia both on main and lateral branches; autozooecia triangular to trapezoid in mid tangential section; hemisepta absent; superstructure absent; keel low without nodes.

OCCURRENCE. — Lower Devonian-Upper Permian; worldwide.

COMPARISON

Filites has the same colony shape as Penniretepora d’Orbigny, 1849 , but differs from the latter in the shape of autozooecia in mid tangential section (triangular to trapezoid vs rectangular to pentagonal) and in the absence of keel nodes.

Filites cf. laxa (Young & Young, 1876) comb. nov. ( Figs 28 C-F; Appendix)

Glauconome laxa Young & Young, 1876: 331 , pl. 4, figs 33-34.

Glauconome elegantula Etheridge, 1877: 35 , pl. 2a, figs 3-6.

Penniretepora elegantula Etheridge, 1877 . — Olaloye 1974: 500, pl. 21, figs 1-4.

Penniretepora laxa – Graham 1975: 8, pl. 2, figs 9-10, pl. 6, figs 1-2.

MATERIAL. — SMF 21.956- SMF 21.960.

OCCURRENCE. — Carboniferous, Mississippian (upper Visean); Roque Redonde (Montagne Noire, southern France).

DESCRIPTION

Pinnate colonies consisting of straight main branches with frequent lateral branches. Main branches 0.41-0.66 mm wide; lateral branches 0.26-0.38 mm wide, diverging at angles 58- 79° from main branches, spaced 0.66-1.20 mm from centre to centre. Autozooecia having circular to oval apertures, arranged in two rows both on main and lateral branches; twothree apertures between two neighbouring lateral branches. Peristomes distinct, containing 18-24 nodes. Peristomal nodes 0.010 -0.015 mm in diameter. Nodes on branches absent.

INTERNAL DESCRIPTION

Autozooecial chambers triangular to trapezoid in mid tangential section both on main and secondary branches, relatively short, inflated, with moderately long vestibules. Hemisepta absent. Axial wall strongly zigzag from base to crest, not projecting as frontal keel. Extrazooecial skeleton moderately developed, traversed by abundant microstyles; microstyles diverging from inner hyaline skeleton, regularly spaced across entire colony surface, 0.010 -0.015 mm in diameter. Reverse side without any ornamentation.

COMPARISON

The material from France compares well with Penniretepora laxa (Young & Young, 1876) from the Carboniferous of Scotland in respect of gross external morphology, branch sizes and lateral branch spacing. The main branches of the Scottish specimens are slightly flexuous. The specific attribution of the French material is not definitive as the internal features of the type specimens of P. laxa remain unknown

Figures

FIG. 28. — A, B, Baculopora redondensis n. sp.; A, branch transverse section, paratype SMF 21.939; B, branch oblique section showing autozooecial chambers, paratype SMF 21.941; C-F, Filites cf. laxa (Young & Young,1876),tangential to mid-tangential section showing autozooecial chambers and apertures,SMF 21.956; G, H, Penniretepora volgensis Shishova, 1959,SMF 21.964; G, tangential section showing the reverse branch side; H, I, tangential section showing autozooecial apertures and median keel. Scale bars: A, B, D-F, 0.5 mm; C, 2 mm; G-I, 1mm.