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Wetzeliella hampdenensis

Wetzeliella hampdenensis Wilson, 1967

Tax. jr. synonym of Wetzeliella articulata Eisenack, 1938, according to Costa and Downie, 1979. Lentin and Williams, 1981, retained Wetzeliella hampdenensis as a separate species.
Holotype: Wilson, 1967, fig.19
Locus typicus: Hampden, south of Oamaru, New Zealand
Stratum typicum: Middle Eocene (Bortonian)

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G.L. Williams short notes on species, Mesozoic-Cenozoic dinocyst course, Urbino, Italy, May 17-22, 1999

Wetzeliella hampdenensis Wilson, 1967c. According to Wilson (1967c, p.480-481) has a pentagonal pericyst with relatively short horns, apart from the left antapical horn. The right antapical horn is always present but is very short. Processes are short, broad, sharply tapered, aculeate with 3-6 aculei. The processes are 3-9 µm long with the aculei 2-5 Fm long. The processes are arranged in simulate complexes. Endocyst subpentagonal to subrhomboidal. Archeopyle epeliform. Size: length 105-138 Fm. Wetzeliella hampdenensis differs from W. ovalis in having far more prominent horns. However, the horns are shorter than those of W. articulata. Wetzeliella hampdenensis bears some resemblance to W. echinulata Vozzhennikova which was not validly published. The holotype appears to have an epeliform archeopyle. Size: pericyst length 105-138 µm, width 91-118 µm, endocyst 82 x 76 µm, apical horn 11-19 µm, left antapical horn 6-14 µm, right antapical horn 11-27 µm, lateral horn 8-11 µm. Holotype: length 132 µm, width 118 µm, endocyst 83 x 88 µm, apical horn 16 µm, left antapical horn 11 µm, right antapical horn 27 µm, lateral horns 11 µm.
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Original description: Wilson, 1967, p.480-481: Wetzeliella (Wetzeliella) hampdenensis
Periphragm outline pentagonal, asymmetric. Horns comparatively short apart from right antapical horn which is longer and more pointed than the others. Side horns broad, short, and blunt.
Left antapical horn always present, substantially shorter than right antapical horn. Periphragm bordered by short, broad, sharply tapered aculeate processes (process length 3-9 µ, bases 3-7 µ, aculei length 2-5 µ, number of aculei 3-6). The smallest processes occur on the horn margins. Processes of periphragm tapered (bases 2-7 µ), aculeate, up to 16 µ in length. and arranged in simulate complexes. Capsule sub-rhomboidal to sub-pentagonal; pericoel usually fairly well developed. Archeopyle trapezium-shaped. Tabulation apparently similar to Wetzeliella (W.) articulata.
Dimensions: Holotype: l= 132 µm, h= 118 µm, capsule 83x88 µm, apical horn 16 µm, left antapical horn 11 µm, right antapical horn 27 µm, Iateral horns 11 µm.
Range: 1= 105(123) 138 µm, h= 91(100)118 µm, capsule (1) 82x76 µm, ap. h. 11(15)19 µm, l. ant. h. 6(11)14 µm, r. ant. h. 11(19)27 µm, lat. h. 8(10)11 µm.

Affinities:
Wilson, 1967, p.481: Wetzeliella (Wetzeliella) hampdenensis
Wetzeliella (W.) hampdenensis has some resemblance to W. (W.) ovalis Eisenack but has far more prominent horns. The horns are much shorter than those of W. (W.) articulata. The characteristically aculeate processes are somewhat similar to the London Clay specimens of W. (W.) ovalis (Williams and Downie, 1966). However, the processes of W. (W.) hampdenensis appear to be shorter, especially those at the margin, and much more sharply tapered. Wetzeliella (W.) exinulata Vozzhennikova from the Eocene of Sineria appears to very closely resemble W. (W.) humpdenensis in the illustration by Vozzhennikova (1960, pl. 3, fig. 3). The periphragm outlines of the two species are very similar and the processes basically of the same type although far more numerous on the Russian species. Unfortunately, there appears to be no formal description of Wetzeliella (W.) exinulata.
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