Floriastrea iberica, Löser & Nieto & Castro & Reolid, 2019

Löser, Hannes, Nieto, Luis M., Castro, José Manuel & Reolid, Matías, 2019, A Lower Valanginian coral fauna from the South Iberian Palaeomargin (Internal Prebetic, SE Spain), Palaeontologia Electronica (a 06) 24 (1), pp. 1-57 : 10-12

Floriastrea iberica sp. nov. Löser

Figure 6

zoobank.org/ D708B41C-0000-4C9A-AC7D-F98B8A6C3BC2

1985 Latusastrea exiguis (de Fromentel, 1862) ; Geyer and Rosendahl, p. 167, pl. 2, fig. 6

Etymology. Iberia for the Spanish Peninsula.

Holotype. MGB 83251 with two thin sections, here Figure 6.1, 6.2, 6.4 .

Paratypes. MGB 83242 with one thin sections, 83314 with two thin sections, here Figure 6.3 .

Type locality. Puerto Llano section, Cabañas, Sierra de Cazorla, Jaén, Andalusia, Spain.

Type level. Sierra del Pozo Fm, Lower Valanginian.

Depository. Museo de Geología de Barcelona, Spain.

Diagnosis. Floriastrea with very small corallites: 0.43-0.52 mm for the inner smaller and 0.48-0.63 mm for the inner larger diameter. The number of septa is 10 to 12.

Comparison. Both known species have larger corallite dimensions. Floriastrea planinensis (Turnšek and Mihajlovic, 1981) : clmin, 0.6-0.8 mm; clmax, 0.9-1.1 mm. Floriastrea sexradiata (Sikharulidze, 1985) : clmin, 1.3-1.5 mm; clmax, 1.3-1.5 mm.

Material. MGB 83238, 83242, 83251, 83252, 83253, 83259, 83280, 83285, 83312, 83314; 6 thin sections.

Dimensions. See Table 2.

Description. Plocoid colony where corallites are arranged in a circular pattern. Corallite outline circular to elliptical. Septa compact. Microstructure of septa unknown. Septa in cross section externally thick, then equally very thin. Septal maximum thickness 90 µm. Symmetry of septa radial in an octameral symmetry. First septal cycle and the beginning of a second cycle resulting in 10 to 12 septa. Septal cycles differ in length. First septal cycle extends to the corallite centre, the second cycle is very short. Septa of the second cycle often attached to those of the first cycle. Septal distal margin unknown, lateral face smooth, inner margin smooth. Pali absent. All septa of the first cycle are attached to the columella. Costae hardly present, non-confluent. Synapticulae absent. Columella styliform. Endotheca consists of thin tabulae. Wall present, compact, probably paraseptothecal. Coenosteum very narrow (rarely more than 100 µm). Constitution of the coenosteum unknown. Budding intracalicinal.

LÖSER ET AL.: SPANISH VALANGINIAN CORALS

Figures

FIGURE 6. Floriastrea iberica sp. nov., Löser. 1: MGB 83251, transversal thin section. 2: MGB 83251, transversal thin section, detail. 3: MGB 83314, transversal thin section, larger view. 4: MGB 83251, longitudinal thin section. Scale 1 mm.