Astraraea Felix, 1900

Baron-Szabo, Rosemarie C., 2008, Dendrophylliina, Caryophylliina, Fungiina, Microsolenina, and Stylinina, Zootaxa 1952, pp. 1-244 : 113

Genus Astraraea Felix, 1900

(= Trechmannaria Wells, 1935 , Type species. T. montanaroae Wells, 1935 , Campanian of Jamaica);

(= Valliseris Alloiteau, 1957 , Type species. V. rennensis Alloiteau, 1957 , Upper Cenomanian of France).

Type species. Thamnastrea multiradiata Reuss, 1854 , Upper Santonian of Austria .

Diagnosis. Colonial, thamnasterioid. Corallites can be arranged in short meandroi series. Gemmation intratentacular mono- to tristomodaeal. Corallites permanently monocentric. Radial elements biseptal with perforations arranged in vertical rows. Distal margins with rounded (moniliform) and subequal denticles. Lateral septal faces ornamented with rounded granulae. Synapticulae numerous. Columella parietal-papillose. Endothecal dissepiments sparse, thin. No wall.

Remarks. Alloiteau (1957, p. 319) described the genus Valliseris from the Cenomanian of France and gave the following characteristics: “Colonial, corallites isolated or arranged in short meandroid series, corallite series separated by tectiform collines, septa biseptal with large pores, gemmation intracalicinal, no wall, corallites connected by septa, endothecal dissepiments thin, septal distal margins moniliform, granulated laterally, synapticulae numerous, columella parietal-papillose.” However, in the illustration of the holotype of the type species of Valliseris (see Alloiteau, 1957, pl. 16, fig. 2), corallites that are arranged in short series are generally separated by tholiform, and only rarely by tectiform, collines. Tholiform collines are also present in Astraraea when the corallites occur in small groups. In addition, in Valliseris , isolated corallites occur irregularly, which results in a thamnasterioid corallite integration. Therefore, the genus Valliseris Alloiteau is considered a junior synonym of Astraraea Felix.

The genus Trechmannaria Wells, 1935 , from the Campanian of Jamaica, is characterized by skeletal structures that are identical to the ones found in Valliseris and Astraraea : “Colonial, massive, thamnasterioidmeandroid, gemmation intracalicinal, corallite centres distinct, arranged in short series, separated by tholiform to tectiform collines, septa confluent, subcompact to perforated, granulated laterally, moniliform distally, synapticulae numerous, endothecal dissepiments sparse, columella spongy-papillose, no wall between the corallites.” In addition, re-examination of the type material of Trechmannaria Wells revealed that isolated corallites also occur. Therefore, the genus Trechmannaria is considered a junior synonym of Astraraea Felix.