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Glaphyrocysta peterbijlii
Glaphyrocysta peterbijlii sp. nov.
Plates IX–XV
2015 ‘? Areoligera sentosa-tauloma’ Bati, pl. X, figs. 10–11.
2025 Glaphrocysta sp. A. Kaya, et al. (supplemental information; dinocyst distribution chart).
Etymology: Named for Dr. Peter K. Bijl, in recognition of his achievements in marine palynology at the Marine Palynology and Paleoceanography group (MPP), Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Holotype: Plate IX, figs. a–f. sample KR22S2Y23, slide 1, EF: C14. Utrecht University.
Paratype 1: Plate X, figs. a–f., sample KR22S2Y23, slide 1, EF: R19. Utrecht University.
Paratype 2: Plate XII, figs. a–f., sample KR22S2Y29, slide 2, EF: R29/ 1. Utrecht University.
Studied material: Karaburun section, NE Turkey, subsection KR22-S2 of Kaya et al., 2025(samples KR22-S1-Y8 through KR22-S3-Y17) and the Priabonian paratype Bressana section from NE Italy (cf. Brinkhuis, 1994).
Type locality and horizon: ˙Ihsaniye Formation, Karaburun section, NW Turkey, sample KR22-S2-Y23, level 53,50 m (=S2, 18,50 m) cf. Kaya et al., 2025.
Age: early Rupelian. Calibration: Calcareous nannoplankton zone top NP21/base NP22 (Kaya et al., 2025), and Rac Zone of Brinkhuis and Biffi (1993; this paper).
Diagnosis: An intermediate to large-sized species of Glaphyrocysta characterized by having penitabular, distally flared ornamentation on the apical, dorsal and antapical sides, and mixed, partly penitabular, and partly distally complexly connected ornamentation on the ventral side.
Description:
Shape: Endophragm: dorso-ventrally compressed, lenticular to (sub) spherical with two antapical lobes, as typical for most Areoligeraceans. Periphragm: notably on the dorsal and antapical sides giving rise to peni- to quasi-inratabular processes, distally open and flared, while the central ventral side is appressed to the endophragm. Processes distally complexly connected along the margins of the ventral side.
Wall relationships: The walls are composed of an endophragm and a periphragm, the latter giving rise to large apical, dorsal and antapical peni- to quasi-inratabular, distally flared and perforated, indented, open processes. This while the processes along the margins of the ventral side are distally connected, eventually grading towards the distal central ventral area into a finely or coarsely ramified, complex ‘network’ of connected strands but leaving the central ventral (i.e. the parasulcal) region open, where the periphragm is appressed to the endophragm.
Wall features: Endophragm: smooth. Periphragm, where appressed to the endophragm microgranulate to microreticulate.
Processes: The dorsal and marginal ventral sides are characterized by large peni- to quasi-intratabular processes, distally open and flared (to distally eventually finely ramified and complexly connected towards the parasulcal area), while at the ventral side both walls are appressed.
Paratabulation: Indicated by most larger processes and the archaeopyle margin, all typical Areoligeracean, with an ‘offset’ sulcal notch.
Archeopyle: Formed by the release of all the apical paraplates (tA, compound); distinctly angular, with the classic Areoligeracean ‘zigzag’ margin, and an ‘offset’ sulcal notch. The paraplates reflecting 2′ and 3′ are much larger than 1′ and 4′. The operculum is usually detached and has four peni- to quasi intrabular hollow, distally open, flared processes (e.g., Plate XI, figs. e–g).
Paracingulum: Position clearly marked by the margins of the penitabular processes, notably so on the ventral side, but without traces of tabulation.
Parasulcus: Marked by the central ventral region of appressed walls, but without traces of tabulation.
Dimensions: Central body length: 54–64 μm (holotype, 60 μm); width: 62–75 μm (holotype, 66 μm). Overall length/width: 65 ×115 μm (holotype, 93 ×106 μm). Twenty specimens were measured.
Stratigraphic range: Lower Rupelian.
Comparison: The rather large, distally flared, and irregularly terminating dorsal and marginal penitabular processes are reminiscent of the ornamentation of the morphologically closely related species Areoligera sentosa, A. undulata and even A. tauloma (all of Eaton, 1976, from the Lutetian and Bartonian of the UK). Glaphyrocysta peterbijlii differs by having ventrally distally complexly connected processes, also a defining character for assigning it to the genus Glaphyrocysta. It is somewhat comparable to the connections in Glaphyrocysta intricata (see e.g., Plate XVI), occurring in coeval deposits at Karaburun but differs by truly interconnecting sets of intratabular processes. The large, flared processes also resemble the ornamentation of the classic Oligocene genus Chiropteridium (although Eocene varieties have been described as well). These differ in not having penitabular, nor distally connected processes. In this sense, G. peterbijlii makes for a fascinating case, morphologically matching criteria for all of the above, sitting right at the onset of the Oligocene. In terms of overall morphology and stratigraphic occurrence, G. peterbijlii is also somewhat similar to forms described by Gerlach (1961)as Cyclonephelium reticulosum (now Glaphyrocysta reticulosa) from the Lower Oligocene of NW Germany. Yet, from the original description, and (rather vague) picture of the holotype, that species is characterized by much more consistently distally complexly ramified processes, and lack of penitabular, distally open, flared (not connected) outgrowths.
Plates IX–XV
2015 ‘? Areoligera sentosa-tauloma’ Bati, pl. X, figs. 10–11.
2025 Glaphrocysta sp. A. Kaya, et al. (supplemental information; dinocyst distribution chart).
Etymology: Named for Dr. Peter K. Bijl, in recognition of his achievements in marine palynology at the Marine Palynology and Paleoceanography group (MPP), Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Holotype: Plate IX, figs. a–f. sample KR22S2Y23, slide 1, EF: C14. Utrecht University.
Paratype 1: Plate X, figs. a–f., sample KR22S2Y23, slide 1, EF: R19. Utrecht University.
Paratype 2: Plate XII, figs. a–f., sample KR22S2Y29, slide 2, EF: R29/ 1. Utrecht University.
Studied material: Karaburun section, NE Turkey, subsection KR22-S2 of Kaya et al., 2025(samples KR22-S1-Y8 through KR22-S3-Y17) and the Priabonian paratype Bressana section from NE Italy (cf. Brinkhuis, 1994).
Type locality and horizon: ˙Ihsaniye Formation, Karaburun section, NW Turkey, sample KR22-S2-Y23, level 53,50 m (=S2, 18,50 m) cf. Kaya et al., 2025.
Age: early Rupelian. Calibration: Calcareous nannoplankton zone top NP21/base NP22 (Kaya et al., 2025), and Rac Zone of Brinkhuis and Biffi (1993; this paper).
Diagnosis: An intermediate to large-sized species of Glaphyrocysta characterized by having penitabular, distally flared ornamentation on the apical, dorsal and antapical sides, and mixed, partly penitabular, and partly distally complexly connected ornamentation on the ventral side.
Description:
Shape: Endophragm: dorso-ventrally compressed, lenticular to (sub) spherical with two antapical lobes, as typical for most Areoligeraceans. Periphragm: notably on the dorsal and antapical sides giving rise to peni- to quasi-inratabular processes, distally open and flared, while the central ventral side is appressed to the endophragm. Processes distally complexly connected along the margins of the ventral side.
Wall relationships: The walls are composed of an endophragm and a periphragm, the latter giving rise to large apical, dorsal and antapical peni- to quasi-inratabular, distally flared and perforated, indented, open processes. This while the processes along the margins of the ventral side are distally connected, eventually grading towards the distal central ventral area into a finely or coarsely ramified, complex ‘network’ of connected strands but leaving the central ventral (i.e. the parasulcal) region open, where the periphragm is appressed to the endophragm.
Wall features: Endophragm: smooth. Periphragm, where appressed to the endophragm microgranulate to microreticulate.
Processes: The dorsal and marginal ventral sides are characterized by large peni- to quasi-intratabular processes, distally open and flared (to distally eventually finely ramified and complexly connected towards the parasulcal area), while at the ventral side both walls are appressed.
Paratabulation: Indicated by most larger processes and the archaeopyle margin, all typical Areoligeracean, with an ‘offset’ sulcal notch.
Archeopyle: Formed by the release of all the apical paraplates (tA, compound); distinctly angular, with the classic Areoligeracean ‘zigzag’ margin, and an ‘offset’ sulcal notch. The paraplates reflecting 2′ and 3′ are much larger than 1′ and 4′. The operculum is usually detached and has four peni- to quasi intrabular hollow, distally open, flared processes (e.g., Plate XI, figs. e–g).
Paracingulum: Position clearly marked by the margins of the penitabular processes, notably so on the ventral side, but without traces of tabulation.
Parasulcus: Marked by the central ventral region of appressed walls, but without traces of tabulation.
Dimensions: Central body length: 54–64 μm (holotype, 60 μm); width: 62–75 μm (holotype, 66 μm). Overall length/width: 65 ×115 μm (holotype, 93 ×106 μm). Twenty specimens were measured.
Stratigraphic range: Lower Rupelian.
Comparison: The rather large, distally flared, and irregularly terminating dorsal and marginal penitabular processes are reminiscent of the ornamentation of the morphologically closely related species Areoligera sentosa, A. undulata and even A. tauloma (all of Eaton, 1976, from the Lutetian and Bartonian of the UK). Glaphyrocysta peterbijlii differs by having ventrally distally complexly connected processes, also a defining character for assigning it to the genus Glaphyrocysta. It is somewhat comparable to the connections in Glaphyrocysta intricata (see e.g., Plate XVI), occurring in coeval deposits at Karaburun but differs by truly interconnecting sets of intratabular processes. The large, flared processes also resemble the ornamentation of the classic Oligocene genus Chiropteridium (although Eocene varieties have been described as well). These differ in not having penitabular, nor distally connected processes. In this sense, G. peterbijlii makes for a fascinating case, morphologically matching criteria for all of the above, sitting right at the onset of the Oligocene. In terms of overall morphology and stratigraphic occurrence, G. peterbijlii is also somewhat similar to forms described by Gerlach (1961)as Cyclonephelium reticulosum (now Glaphyrocysta reticulosa) from the Lower Oligocene of NW Germany. Yet, from the original description, and (rather vague) picture of the holotype, that species is characterized by much more consistently distally complexly ramified processes, and lack of penitabular, distally open, flared (not connected) outgrowths.