Botryopera babayagae, Trubovitz, Sarah, Renaudie, Johan, Lazarus, David & Noble, Paula, 2022

Trubovitz, Sarah, Renaudie, Johan, Lazarus, David & Noble, Paula, 2022, Late Neogene Lophophaenidae (Nassellaria, Radiolaria) from the eastern equatorial Pacific, Zootaxa 5160 (1), pp. 1-158 : 26

Botryopera babayagae n. sp.

Plate 9, Figs. 1A – 8 .

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D591961F-2E7F-46FD-B2B5-CAECE92178A0

unknown plagonid group C sp 30 cf, partim., Trubovitz et al., 2020, supplementary data 7.

unknown plagonid group C sp 36, Trubovitz et al., 2020, supplementary data 7.

Diagnosis. Lophophaenid sharing characteristics with some Botryopera species, and has particularly heavy cephalis with relatively large pores, paired with a thorax of similar width that is lightly silicified and has significantly smaller pores.

Description. This cephalis of this species is very thick compared to the wall of the thorax. The apical spine is visible inside the shell and along the cephalis wall, but it rarely extends past the top of the cephalis. If it does, the apical spine is thin and weak. Pores on the cephalis are large and framed, while the thorax has much smaller pores and a very thin shell wall. The point of attachment between cephalis and thorax is the widest part of the skeleton, and is characterized by at least three muted upper thoracic lobes. The dorsal and lateral spines are clearly visible through the thin thorax wall, and have a branching appearance. These spines may pierce the thorax and extend as short, thin spines, but in many specimens these small appendages are absent.

Remarks. Like Botryopera amabie n. sp. (Pl. 7, Figs. 1A – 6 ), the cephalis of this species is relatively thick, the overall shape is subcylindrical, and the thorax is relatively thin. B. babayagae n. sp. differs from B. amabie n. sp. in that it lacks a distinct apical horn, is less elongated in shape, and does not have an extended axobate. This species differs from B. oceanica (Ehrenberg) group Petrushevskaya, 1975 in that it is larger, has a more distinct separation between cephalis and thorax, and has more organized, numerous pores on both the cephalis and thorax.

Material examined.> 100 specimens from samples 321-1337A-16H- 6, 121– 124cm (Late Miocene), 321- 1337A-12H-5, 23–26cm (Late Miocene), 321-1337A-10H-2, 91–94cm (Early Pliocene), 321-1337A-7H- 6, 104– 107cm (Early Pliocene), 321-1337A-6H-3, 29–32cm (Late Pliocene), 321-1337A-5H-5, 11–14cm (Late Pliocene), 321-1337A-4H- 6, 115–118cm (Early Pleistocene), 321-1337A-4H-2, 16–19cm (Middle Pleistocene), 321-1337A-3H- 2, 103–106cm (Middle Pleistocene), 321-1337A-2H-3, 76–79cm (Late Pleistocene), and 321-1337D-1H-1, 0–3cm (Recent).

Holotype. Pl. 9, figs. 2A–B; sample 321-1337A-3H- 2, 103– 106cm ; ECO-126; E35-2 .

Paratypes. (1) Pl. 9, figs. 1A–B; sample 321-1337A-3H- 2, 103–106cm; ECO-126; E35-2. (2) Pl. 9, figs. 6A-B; sample 321-1337A-4H- 6, 115–118cm; ECO-130; S19-4. (3) Pl. 9, figs. 5A–B; sample 321-1337A-4H-2, 16-19cm; ECO-127; P21-1. (4) Pl. 9, fig. 7; sample 321-1337A-3H- 2, 103–106cm; ECO-126; K30-1.

Measurements. Cephalis height 49–55 (51)μm; cephalis width 37–48 (42)μm; width at shoulders 42–50 (46)μm. Based on 8 specimens.

Etymology. Named for Baba Yaga, the fearsome forest witch of Slavic folklore who lives in a house on chicken legs.

Range. Late Miocene—Recent, EEP ( Table 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Diagram illustrating the general skeletal morphology of Lophophaenidae, and terminology used in this manuscript. Dashed lines indicate spines that are not visible from the angle shown, as they extend into the skeleton. An example specimen of Lophophaena casperi n. sp. is included for comparison to the diagrams.

FIGURE 6. Internal skeletal structure of Arachnocorallium calvata (Haeckel, 1887) Petrushevskaya, 1971.

FIGURE 8. Internal skeletal structure of Botryopera amabie n. sp.