Palambages Wetzel, 1961

Atfy, Haytham El, Abeed, Qusay & Uhl, Dieter, 2023, Non-pollen palynomorph and palynofacies assemblages from the Lower Cretaceous of Iraq: A glimpse into palaeobiology and palaeoenvironment, Geodiversitas 45 (11), pp. 353-366 : 356

Palambages Wetzel, 1961 .

Palambages is a fossil taxon that refers to simple groupings of small spheroidal to ovoidal cells; individual cells are typically 7-10 µm in diameter ( Fig. 3 D-G). In the studied material, Palambages occurs repeatedly in all samples, except for sample 09-243; it is most abundant in sample 09-262 ( Fig. 2 ).

The biological affinities of Palambages are uncertain, however, they are generally considered to be affiliated to the Chlorophyta (e.g., Słodkowska 2004; Wainman et al. 2019), although their primary classification as incertae sedis cannot be entirely excluded ( Wetzel 1961).

The oldest known fossil record of Palambages is described from the Oxfordian to Albian Pemba Formation in Mozambique ( Smelror et al. 2008). Despite their repeated occurrence in Mesozoic basins worldwide (e.g. Wetzel 1961; Gocht & Wille 1972; Słodkowska 2004; Wainman et al. 2019; among others), this is the first report of Palambages from the Mesozoic basins of Iraq. Previous occurrences of these sporadic colonial cysts were likely disregarded or ignored.

Figures

FIG. 3. — The palynological assemblage of the Yamama Formation: A, colony of degraded Botryococcus Kützing, 1849 seen in transmitted white light. Note characteristic globular outline and lustrous yellow colour;09-262-2_P47;B, isolated coenobium of degraded Botryococcus colony seen in transmitted white light; 09-234-1_P35; C, colony of Botryococcus fluorescing under incident blue light illumination, the globular outline of the cells is very clear however, the cell cups are not clearly visible; 09-234_P35; D, Palambages sp., 09-242-3_P36; E, Palambages sp., 09-262-2_W40, arrow refers to loophole (= Schlüpfloch of Gocht & Wille 1972); F, Palambages sp., 09-262-3_G36, arrow refers to loophole (= Schlüpfloch of Gocht & Wille 1972); G, Palambages sp., 09-262-3_G40, arrows refer to loophole (= Schlüpfloch of Gocht & Wille 1972); H, marine prasinophyte phycoma of the genus Pterospermella Eisenack, 1972, 09-262-1_H53; I, dinocyst Batioladinium micropodum (Eisenack & Cookson, 1960) Brideaux, 1975, 09-234-1_R56; J, dinocyst, 09-234-1_M50; K, dinocyst, Cribroperidinium sp., 09-234- 1_N53; L, Leiosphaeridia sp., 09-255-3_G53; M, Leiosphaeridia sp., 09-262-3_T37; N, Leiosphaeridia sp., 09-234-3_S51; O, Leiosphaeridia sp., 09-255, arrow points to a possible encystment opening. Scale bars: 20 μm.

FIG. 2. — Quantitative representation of the percentages for the recorded NPPs in the studied samples: A, 09-234; B, 09-242; C, 09-243; D, 09-255; E, 09-262.