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Rhynchodiniopsis cladophora ssp. cladophora
Rhynchodiniopsis cladophora ssp. cladrophora
Autonym.
Originally Gonyaulax cladophora ssp. cladophora, subsequently Gonyaulacysta cladophora ssp. cladophora, thirdly Hystrichogonyaulax cladophora ssp. cladophora fourthly (and now) Rhynchodiniopsis cladophora ssp. cladophora. Downie and Sarjeant, 1965 gave the citation Gonyaulax cladophora Deflandre ssp. cladophora Klement. Lentin and Williams, 1981 retained this taxon in Hystrichogonyaulax Sarjeant, 1969, as Hystrichogonyaulax cladophora ssp. cladophora (Klement, 1960) Stover and Evitt, 1978; however, Jan du Chene et al., 1986 agreed with Below, 1981 and retained the taxon as Rhynchodiniopsis cladophora ssp. cladophora.
Holotype: Deflandre, 1938, pl.7, fig.1; Jan du Chene et al., 1986, pl.94, fig.6
Paratpes: Deflandre, 1938
Locus typicus: Villers-sur-Mer, Calvados, France
Stratum typicum: Early Oxfordian
Translation Deflandre, 1938: LPP
Original description: Deflandre 1938, p.173-176
Body spherical, but appears sometimes somewhat polyhedrical, especially with flattened specimens. The sides are almost always convex, however deformed they may be. The strongly helicoidal transverse furrow separates the theca in two nearly equal parts. The epitheca bears a tabulated apical horn, usually denticulate at its extremity. The hypotheca is regularly rounded, nearly semispherical. The longitudinal furrow extends from the apex to the antapex and mostly widens on the hypovalve. The plates are limited by series of horns, sometimes reduced to spines, which branch in an irregular way, producing short branches, which again end in small spines. Often these processes are simply furcated, but sometimes double or triple furcations occur. Because of the lack of complete or well-oriented specimens, the tabulation could not be established. However, many specimens show the ventral area, and the presence of a very small postequatorial plate could be demonstrated. The epitheca possesses six pre-equatorial plates, the first and the sixth being considerably smaller than the others. The ventral view shows, near the apex, the existence of at least two plates on the right side, and one on the left.
The tabulation of the hypotheca is less unclear: six postequatorial plates, the first of which is very reduced and hard to see. The antapical plate, almost quadrangular, is connected to two first postequatorial plates by an intermediate plate, and the whole corresponds to the tabulation characteristic of Gonyaulax. This antapical plate shows a rectangular recess, where the longitudinal furrow and the intermediate plate end. The holotype is 95 µm long and 95 µm wide. This may be a mean value, but dimensions vary considerably (e.g. length: 68-117 µm). Some specimens may be wider than long. The membrane of the theca is, often indistinctly, punctate, which becomes only after coloration.
Autonym.
Originally Gonyaulax cladophora ssp. cladophora, subsequently Gonyaulacysta cladophora ssp. cladophora, thirdly Hystrichogonyaulax cladophora ssp. cladophora fourthly (and now) Rhynchodiniopsis cladophora ssp. cladophora. Downie and Sarjeant, 1965 gave the citation Gonyaulax cladophora Deflandre ssp. cladophora Klement. Lentin and Williams, 1981 retained this taxon in Hystrichogonyaulax Sarjeant, 1969, as Hystrichogonyaulax cladophora ssp. cladophora (Klement, 1960) Stover and Evitt, 1978; however, Jan du Chene et al., 1986 agreed with Below, 1981 and retained the taxon as Rhynchodiniopsis cladophora ssp. cladophora.
Holotype: Deflandre, 1938, pl.7, fig.1; Jan du Chene et al., 1986, pl.94, fig.6
Paratpes: Deflandre, 1938
Locus typicus: Villers-sur-Mer, Calvados, France
Stratum typicum: Early Oxfordian
Translation Deflandre, 1938: LPP
Original description: Deflandre 1938, p.173-176
Body spherical, but appears sometimes somewhat polyhedrical, especially with flattened specimens. The sides are almost always convex, however deformed they may be. The strongly helicoidal transverse furrow separates the theca in two nearly equal parts. The epitheca bears a tabulated apical horn, usually denticulate at its extremity. The hypotheca is regularly rounded, nearly semispherical. The longitudinal furrow extends from the apex to the antapex and mostly widens on the hypovalve. The plates are limited by series of horns, sometimes reduced to spines, which branch in an irregular way, producing short branches, which again end in small spines. Often these processes are simply furcated, but sometimes double or triple furcations occur. Because of the lack of complete or well-oriented specimens, the tabulation could not be established. However, many specimens show the ventral area, and the presence of a very small postequatorial plate could be demonstrated. The epitheca possesses six pre-equatorial plates, the first and the sixth being considerably smaller than the others. The ventral view shows, near the apex, the existence of at least two plates on the right side, and one on the left.
The tabulation of the hypotheca is less unclear: six postequatorial plates, the first of which is very reduced and hard to see. The antapical plate, almost quadrangular, is connected to two first postequatorial plates by an intermediate plate, and the whole corresponds to the tabulation characteristic of Gonyaulax. This antapical plate shows a rectangular recess, where the longitudinal furrow and the intermediate plate end. The holotype is 95 µm long and 95 µm wide. This may be a mean value, but dimensions vary considerably (e.g. length: 68-117 µm). Some specimens may be wider than long. The membrane of the theca is, often indistinctly, punctate, which becomes only after coloration.