Lithomelissa sp. A

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 : 46

Lithomelissa sp. A

Plate 20, Figs. 1A – 5 .

Lithomelissa brevispicula Popofsky, Trubovitz et al., 2020 , supplementary data 7.

Remarks. This species was misidentified as Lithomelissa brevispicula Popofsky in Trubovitz et al., 2020. Unlike the Popofsky species, this species has a clear distinction between the cephalis and thorax segments. The cephalis is relatively large, sometimes approximately the same length as the cephalis, and the apical spine passes through the center of the cephalis.

Material examined. 12 specimens observed from samples 321-1337A-12H-5, 23–26cm (Late Miocene), 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), and 321-1337A-3H- 2, 103–106cm (Middle Pleistocene).

Range. Latest Miocene—Middle Pleistocene, 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 5. Internal skeletal structure of Amphiplecta acrostoma Haeckel, 1887.