Monticulipora d’Orbigny, 1850

Ernst, Andrej & Carrera, Marcelo G., 2022, A cool-water bryozoan association from the La Pola Formation (Sandbian, Ordovician) of Argentine Precordillera, Geodiversitas 44 (20), pp. 563-601 : 570

Genus Monticulipora d’Orbigny, 1850

TYPE SPECIES. — Monticulipora mammulata d’Orbigny, 1850 by original designation. Upper Ordovician (Cincinnatian); North America .

DIAGNOSIS. — Colonies encrusting, hemispherical, massive, frondose or ramose. Autozooecial apertures polygonal. Cystiphragms and planar diaphragms generally occur throughout the zooecia. Acanthostyles are commonly short, generally limited to thick-walled zones and are the best developed in monticules or can be rare or absent. Intermonticular mesozooecia are common to lacking, polygonal in cross section and contain planar, closely spaced diaphragms. Autozooecial walls laminated throughout the colonies. Monticules are marked by thickened zooecial and mesozooecia walls and increased concentrations of enlarged acanthostyles, often with a central cluster of mesozooecia surrounded by enlarged zooecia.

OCCURRENCE. — Middle Ordovician to Lower Silurian, worldwide.

COMPARISON

Monticulipora d’Orbigny, 1850 differs from Prasopora Nicholson & Etheridge, 1877 by having less abundant mesozooecia, polygonal autozooecial apertures, serrated instead of amalgamated wall structure, and usually less abundant cystiphragms.