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Adnatosphaeridium patulum

Adnatosphaeridium? patulum, Williams and Downie, 1966

NOW Thalassiphora. Originally Adnatosphaeridium?, subsequently (and now) Thalassiphora.
Tax. jr syn.of Thalassiphora pelagica (Eisenack, 1954) Eisenack and Gocht, 1960, according to Benedek and Gocht, 1981. Lentin and Williams (1985, p.354) retained
Tax. sr syn. of Subathua sahnii Khanna and Singh, 1980, according to Stover and Williams, 1987, and Lentin and Williams, 1989.
Williams and Downie (1966c, p.217) questionably included this species in Adnatosphaeridium.

Holotype: Williams and Downie, 1966, pl.24, fig.2
Locus typicus: London Clay, Enborne, England
Stratum typicum: Early Eocene
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Original description: [Williams and Downie, 1966, p. 217-218]:

Diagnosis:
Sub-spherical central body with fibrous wall up to 1 µm thick, composed of endocoel and pericoel. Processes intratabular open, flared, with fibrous walls; one per plate. Adjacent processes united distally.
Archaeopyle haplotabular.

Description:
A. patulm has a quadrate archaeopyle resulting from the loss of a single plate. The archaeopyle is surrounded by six processes in the holotype; these may be precingular but until more specimens are studied definite conclusions cannot be drawn.
The processes are considerably broader distally than proximally and have undulose margins. Distal margins of adjacent processes are united. The fibres of the process walls are haphazard in orientation. The walls often appear perforate and this may in part be due to differential staining. The central body is medium brown, the processes transparent, yellowish green.

Dimensions:
Holotype: diameter of central body 75 by 80 µm. Length of processes up to 37 µm.
Observed range: diameter of central body 75-95 µm. Length of processes up to 37 µm.

Affinities:
The processes readily distinguish ?A. patulum from other described species. Because of the uncertainty with regard to the type of archaeopyle and its shape, the species is tentatively placed in Adnatosphaeridium.
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