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Gonyaulacysta

From Williams et al., 2017:

[Gonyaulacysta, Deflandre, 1964, p. 5030; Emendations: Sarjeant, 1966, p. 111; Sarjeant, 1969, p. 7–8; Stover and Evitt, 1978, p. 157–158; Sarjeant, 1982b, p. 27–28; Helenes and Lucas-Clark, 1997, p. 175–176.

Tax. sr. syn.: Rhynchodiniopsis, by implication in Millioud (1969, p.428) who transferred the "type species" of Rhynchodiniopsis, Rhynchodiniopsis aptiana, to Gonyaulacysta — however, Lentin and Williams (1973, p.58,121) retained Gonyaulacysta.
Tax. jr. syn.: Nelchinopsis, according to Duxbury (1977, p.37) — however, Stover and Williams (1987, p.11) retained Nelchinopsis; Psaligonyaulax, according to Below (1981a, p.52) — however, Lentin and Williams (1981, p.235) retained Psaligonyaulax.
Although the "type species", Gonyaulacysta jurassica, was not validly transferred to Gonyaulacysta by Deflandre (1964), the generic name Gonyaulacysta was validly published by that author since it is based on a previously validly published species name.

Type species: Gonyaulax jurassica, Deflandre, 1939a (pl.6, figs.2–3; text-figs.1–2)]

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Original description: [Deflandre, 1964]: (Translation: Stover and Evitt, 1978, p. 157):

Diagnosis:
I place in the genus Gonyaulacysta nov. gen. all the fossil species with Gonyaulax-like tabulation represented by thecae with projecting, more or less strongly ornamented crests (pectinate, spiny, denticulate, etc....) and provided with an archaeopyle (3rd pre-equatorial plate).

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Emended descriptions:


Sarjeant, 1966:
Diagnosis:
Proximate dinoflagellate cysts, spherical, ovoidal, ellipsoidal or polyhedral, with the tabulation 3-4`, 0-1a, 6``, 6c, 6```, 1p, 0-1 p.v., 1````. Cingulum strongly or weakly helicoid. Cingular plates (6c) well or poorly marked; ventral surface may show division into additional small plates. Sulcus generally but not constantly extending onto epitract. Apical horn frequently, but not constantly present; median and antapical horns lacking. Sutures in form of low ridges; bearing crests of varied form (smooth denticulate or spinous; perforate or imperforate); or marked by lines of spines of varied form. Height of spines or crests always less than 1/4 of shell width. A precingular archaeopyle formed by loss of plate 3``. (Archaeopyle not always present.) Surface smooth, granular, nodose, punctate or reticulate.

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Sarjeant, 1969:

Diagnosis:
Proximate dinoflagellate cysts, spherical, ovoidal, ellipsoidal or polyhedral, with an apical horn and the reflected tabulation 3-4`, 0-1a, 6``, 6c, 5-6```, 1p, 0-1p.v, 1````, 0-xs. Cingulum strongly or weakly helicoid; cingular plates well or poorly marked. Sulcus generally but not constantly extending on to the epitract; undivided or subdivided into a variable number of small plates.
Apical horn typically formed from the periphragm only, less frequently from both shell layers; rarely, an apical or antapical pericoel is present (but not both), but the two layers are most often otherwise in continuous contact. Median and antapical horns lacking. Sutures marked by low ridges; bearing crests of varied form (smooth, denticulate or spinous, perforate or imperforate); or marked by lines of spines of varied form. Height of spines or crests always less than 1/4 of shell width. A precingular single-plate archaeopyle, formed by loss of plate 3``, is developed, the operculum typically becoming wholly detached: in some individual specimens, the archaeopyle may not be developed. Surface of periphragm smooth, granular, nodose, punctate or reticulate; forms with a general spine cover are excluded.

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Stover and Evitt 1978:

Synopsis:
Cysts typically bicavate; endocyst subspherical to ellipsoidal; pericyst subpolygonal and generally elongate longitudinally, with a short to long apical horn. Paratabulation gonyaulacacean, indicated by parasutural septa with denticulate to spinulate crests; archeopyle precingular, Type P.

Description:
Shape: Elongate ellipsoidal to subpolygonal with a short to long apical horn; antapical end generally truncate.
Wall relationships: Cysts typically bicavate, although developed of epipericoel or hypopericoel may be lacking or reduced. In addition, tunnellike cavaties may extend toward paracingulum along parasutures.
Wall features: Parasutural septa with characteristic denticulate to spinulate crests; areas between septa smooth or punctoreticulate, or with scattered features of low relief; endophragm normally smooth.
Paratabulation: Indicated by parasutural features; gonyaulacacean, formula: 0-2pr, 3-4`, 0-1a, 6``, 6c, 5-6```, 1p, 1````, 0-1s; apical paraplates often difficult to distinguish.
Archeopyle: Precingular, Type P (3`` only); operculum free.
Paracingulum: Indicated by six subrectangular paraplates; ends of paracingulum typically strongly offset ventrally.
Parasulcus: Generally clearly delimited by parasutural septa, straight to S-shaped; posterior paraplate may be differentiated.
Size: Intermediate to large, generally the former.

Affinities:
Gonyaulacysta differs from Rhynchodiniopsis in being cavate and in lacking strongly developed spines at the intersections of parasutural features. Rhynchodiniopsis has an autophragm, and spinules in the gonal positions are longer (especially along the paracingulum) than those in intergonal locations.

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Sarjeant, 1982:

Diagnosis:
Proximate to proximochorate dinoflagellate cysts normally of small or intermediate, rarely of large, size. Ambitus subpolygonal to rounded subpolygonal or lozenge-shaped, consistently with an apical horn or prominence and with parasutural crests of variable form. Development of cavation at the apex universal, at the antapex variable to lacking; individual cysts may be apically cornucavate, epicavate, delphicavate or bicavate. Where a hypopericoel is developed, its length is always less than its breadth and the structure has no modifying effect on the ambitus of the hypotract, no angle being formed between the hypopericoel and the anterior portion of the hypotract.
Paratabulation 0-2pa, 3-4`, 0-1a, 6``, 6c-?7c, 6```, 1p, 0-1pv, 1````; the sulcus may also show some division into small paraplates.
Paraplate 4` is elongate and narrow, shorter than 1` and only having a small contact with 6``; the latter paraplate typically exhibits some measure of triangularity. The crest between 4` and 6`` intersects the right lateral crest of 1` in a position anterior, and usually markedly anterior, to the boundary of the latter paraplate with the sulcus. Cingulum strongly or weakly helicoid; between its two ends, the sulcus may be straight or in varying degree sigmoidal. Crests on parasutures raised, smooth, serrate or developed into denticles or spines of regular or irregular length and character; accessory crests feebly developed or (typically) lacking. Height of crests variable, but always less than 1/4 of the cyst width. Gonal spines of small to moderate height present or absent.
Surface of periphragm smooth, granular, nodose, punctate or reticulate; endophragm, where separate, typically smooth.
Archaeopyle single-plate precingular, formed by loss of paraplate 3``` (sic, but should be 3``); operculum reduced.
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