Back
Tenua taugourdeaui

Tenua taugourdeaui Varma and Dangwal, 1964

Originally Tenua Eisenack, 1958, subsequently Hemicystodinium?, thirdly Batiacasphaera.
Taxonomic senior synonym: Hystrichosphaeridium (now Polysphaeridium) zoharyi, according to Lentin and Williams (1981, p.26,127) — however, Tenua taugoudeaui is now considered a taxonomic junior synonym of Polysphaeridium subtile.
Taxonomic senior synonym: Polysphaeridium subtile, according to Sarjeant and Stover, 1978 and Lentin and Williams, 1981; in Lentin and Williams, 1993 it is treated as a tax. jr. synonym of Polysphaeridium subtile.

Holotype: Varma and Dangwal, 1964, pl.2, fig.9
Locus typicus: Western India, Cambay Basin, C.D.W. no. 9. 1475-80 m
Stratum typicum: Eocene-Oligocene

Original diagnosis: Varma and Dangwal, 1964, p.68
Body originally spherical to oblong, incomplete due to the breakage of the pole cap. Body wall prominently granulate, sometimes weak, fairly thick, about 2.5 µm in the specimen illustrated. Processes arise from all over the body rather sparsely, start with a somewhat broad base and extend outwards as hollow structures of uniform thickness or narrow towards the tip in the form of fingers or bluntly ending spines. The tips are occasionally broken, but, when preserved, they are closed and some times also show slight (?) overgrowth hanging downwards. Processes mostly stiff, rarely supple.
Measurements: Diameter of body ca. 55 µm X 50 µm; length of processes ca. 7.8 µm.

Affinities:
Varma and Dangwal, 1964, p.68: The pole cap is often missing from the body, as seen in the figure illustrated, a feature of T. hystrix Eisenack, but the present species differs from T. hystrix in having a smaller body and in the shape of the spinelike processes, which are also more sparsely studded.
Feedback/Report bug