Complexastrea zolleriana ( Quenstedt, 1879)

Complexastrea zolleriana ( Quenstedt, 1879)

Figs. 7B–F View Fig

*1879 Coenotheca zolleriana : Quenstedt, p. 609, Pl. 165 figs. 36-43.

(v)1996 Complexastrea zolleriana (Quenstedt) : Lathuilière, p. 597, Pl. 72, Fig. 1 View Fig –18, Pl. 73, Fig. 1 View Fig –13, Pl. 74, Fig. 1–4 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig , Pl. 75, Fig. 1–7 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig , Text-Figs. 5–6, 8–11 [older synonyms cited therein].

pars(v)2003 Montlivaltia decipiens ( Goldfuss 1826) : Pandey & Fürsich, p. 42–43, Pl. 10, Fig. 7–10 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig , [?Pl. 8, Fig. 6 View Fig ].

(v)2003 Latiphyllia cf. confluens ( Quenstedt, 1843) : Pandey & Fürsich, p. 44–46, Pl. 11, Fig. 1 View Fig .

(v)2003 Coenotheca zolleriana Quenstedt, 1881 : Pandey & Fürsich, p. 46–48, Pl. 11, Fig. 2–6 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig .

Dimensions. Great diameter of corallites: 10–30 mm; in areas of intense budding around 8 mm; septa/corallite: up to around 100, in corallites in areas of intense budding around 20; septa/mm: 3–9/5; distance of corallite centers: 5–21 mm; septal thickness ranges between 100 and 1300 µm.

Description. Individual specimens are in various transgeneric stages including (1) cerio-plocoid to astreoid corallites in subflabellate arrangement (resembling Latiphyllia ); (2) small submassive clumps consisting of a few polyps in subplocoid to submeandroid-thamnasterioid arrangement (resembling Coenotheca ); and (3) tall corallum with subplocoid corallites (resembling Tecosmilia); costosepta straight to very wavy; endothecal dissepiments numerous, large vesicular peripherally, cellular to vesicular in central areas of corallum.

Type locality of species. Middle Jurassic (“Brauner Jura gamma”) of Germany (Hohenzollern) .

Distribution. Middle Jurassic of France, Germany, and Iran, lower Valanginian of northeastern Switzerland (Vitznau Marl, Wart; this paper).

Material. NMSG Coll. PK–02.10.20a, 20b (= 02.10.21a), and 20c; –02.10.21c; –02.10.25a-II; –02.10.27c-A. –02.10.27c-B; –02.10.27d; –02.10.36;?–02.10.38.

Remarks. Based on a population study including Middle Jurassic thecosmiliid corals, Lathuilière (1996) established a morphogenesis framework for the genus Complexastrea using individuals that, with regard to the dimensions of their skeletal elements, correspond to the species zolleriana . He came to the conclusion that during various stages of astogeny forms of the genus Complexastrea show morphological overlaps with several other thecosmiliid genera such as Coenotheca , Latiphyllia , Montlivaltia , and Tecosmilia. As a result, specimens that might show close resemblance to one of these genera are grouped with Complexastrea . While this approach has not been accepted by some authors (e.g., Pandey & Fürsich, 2003), it is followed here based on the fact that the genus Complexastrea shows features that clearly distinguishes it from the genera with which it shows morphological convergence during different stages of astogeny. In having both extracalicular budding in addition to intracalicular multiplication and a paraseptothecal wall, Complexastrea differs from genera such as Latiphyllia and Tecosmilia (=characterized by intracalicular multiplication and the lack of septothecal thickenings). In its early (“solitary”) stage, Complexastrea closely resembles the solitary genus Montlivaltia but shows features such as (1) cerio-plocoid shapes and often paraseptothecal developments in the peripheral areas; (2) a rather flat to cupolate corallum; and (3) the presence of budding spots (“generator septa” and “linking septa” sensu Lathuilière [1996, Text-Fig. 10A ‒ B]) from which new corallites develop, closely corresponding to the situation in other genera such as the cunnolitid genus Aspidastraea which can be misinterpreted for the solitary genus Cunnolites in its early stages of astogeny (Baron-Szabo, 2003). In contrast to the “ Montlivaltia ”- stage of Complexastrea , the genus Montlivaltia is variably conical (rarely subdiscoidal-patellate in certain environments), and lacks both septothecal thickenings and budding spots. Te genus Coenotheca very closely corresponds to the juvenile stage of Complexastrea and is, therefore, considered to be a junior synonym of Complexastrea .

(See figure on next page.)

Fig. 8 A View Fig Placophyllia cf. dianthus ( Goldfuss, 1826) , NMSG Coll. PK 02.10.26a; calicular view, polished surface; scale bar: 2.5 mm. B Placophyllia cf. dianthus ( Goldfuss, 1826) , NMSG Coll. PK 02.10.26a;calicular view, thin section; scale bar: 2.5 mm. C Placophyllia cf. dianthus ( Goldfuss,1826) , NMSG Coll. PK 02.10.27a; calicular view, polished surface; scale bar: 2.5 mm. D Placophyllia cf. florosa Eliášová,1976b , NMSG Coll. PK 02.10.28a;calicular view, polished surface;scale bar: 3 mm. E Placophyllia cf. florosa Eliášová,1976b , NMSG Coll.PK 02.10.31a;calicular view, thin section; scale bar: 2.5 mm.

F Dermosmilia sp. , NMSG Coll.PK 02.10.32a;calicular view, thin section; scale bar: 3.5 mm. G Fungiastraea lamellosa (de Fromentel,1857) , NMSG

Coll. PK 02.10.16b; upper surface of colony, calicular view; scale bar: 4 mm. H Fungiastraea lamellosa (de Fromentel, 1857) , NMSG Coll. PK 02.10.28h; calicular view, thin section; scale bar: 2 mm. I Actinaraea tenuis Morycowa,1971 , NMSG Coll. PK 02.10.30e; calicular view of colony, thin section;

scale bar: 2 mm. J Actinaraea tenuis Morycowa, 1971 , NMSG Coll. PK 02.10.28e; calicular and longitudinal view of colony, polished surface; scale bar: 3.5 mm. K Latiastrea mucronata Sikharulidze, 1979 , NMSG Coll. PK 02.10. 22 g; calicular view of colony, polished surface; scale bar: 3 mm. L Latiastrea mucronata Sikharulidze,1979 , NMSG Coll. PK 02.10. 22 g; close-up of Fig. M, scale bar: 1 mm. M Latiastrea mucronata Sikharulidze,1979 , NMSG Coll.

PK 02.10. 22 g; calicular view, thin section; scale bar: 2 mm

Individual specimens from the Vitznau Marl correspond to different morphotypes of the species C. zolleriana . Te specimen NMSG Coll. PK-02.10.20a resembles the “ Latiphyllia ” variation as shown in Lathuilière (1996, Pl. 72, Figs. 8 View Fig and 15, and Text-Fig. 10A–B); the specimens NMSG Coll. PK-02.10.20c, 02.10.25a-II, and 02.10.36 show close affinities to the “ Coenotheca ” morphotype as shown in Lathuilière (1996, Pl. 72, Figs. 7 View Fig and 10 View Fig ); the specimen NMSG Coll. PK-02.10.20b (= 02.10.21a) resembles the “ Tecosmilia ” variation as shown in Lathuilière (1996, Pl. 72, Fig. 5 View Fig ); the specimen NMSG Coll. PK-02.10.21c corresponds to a mix of transgeneric stages including variation of “ Complexastrea – Coenotheca –Tecosmilia ” as shown in Lathuilière (1996, Pl. 73, Fig. 5–8 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig ); and the specimens NMSG Coll. PK-02.10.27c-A and B, and –02.10.27d show close affinities to early stages of astogeny of Complexastrea , corresponding to a mix of “ Coenotheca – Montlivaltia ” morphotypes as shown in Lathuilière (1996, Pl. 72, Figs. 3 View Fig and 6 View Fig ).