Back
Melitasphaeridium variabile
Melitasphaeridium? variabile He Chengquan, 1991
He Chengquan, 1991, questionably included this species in Melitasphaeridium.
Holotype: He Chengquan, 1991, pl.59, fig.4
Age: Middle Eocene
Description from He Chengquan, 1991, translated by Suning Hou, 07-01-2019
Description: Oval body. There are 35-40 fine processes, the size and shape are generally the same, usually the base is slightly large, distal end expanded into a plate-shaped, there are some small spikes on the plate edge, spike length varies, weak, often curved; Adjacent processes’ distal ends are separated or occasionally long processes touch each other. Processes are intratabular, 1-2 processes on each plate. Body wall surface smooth. Wether the archeopyle is apical or precingular is hard to determine in the scanning electron micrograph. Body diameter 31.8μ.m, process length 10-13.6μm.
Discussion: Hystrichosphaeridium pseudorecurvatum holotype or paratype processes are intratabular one on each plate. But the founders of the species classified all the speciemens with 15-35 processes in this species(Morgenroth, 1966, p. 30); later Eaton (1967, p. 274) also made the same classification. Obviously, it seems to be defective to classify specimens with 35 or more processes into H. pseudorecurvatum with 15-22 processes. The current specimen is about the same as that of Eaton's ( His specimens body diameter 21-33 μm, process 8-20 μm long, and about 40 processes.). The only difference is that the distal plate is small, so these specimens can be classified into this new species. The new species is classified into this genus with question due to the type of archeopyle is unknown. Specimens resembling this new species are found in Eocene southern England.
Location and stratigraphy: Wucha County Basebulak, Wulagen fm.
He Chengquan, 1991, questionably included this species in Melitasphaeridium.
Holotype: He Chengquan, 1991, pl.59, fig.4
Age: Middle Eocene
Description from He Chengquan, 1991, translated by Suning Hou, 07-01-2019
Description: Oval body. There are 35-40 fine processes, the size and shape are generally the same, usually the base is slightly large, distal end expanded into a plate-shaped, there are some small spikes on the plate edge, spike length varies, weak, often curved; Adjacent processes’ distal ends are separated or occasionally long processes touch each other. Processes are intratabular, 1-2 processes on each plate. Body wall surface smooth. Wether the archeopyle is apical or precingular is hard to determine in the scanning electron micrograph. Body diameter 31.8μ.m, process length 10-13.6μm.
Discussion: Hystrichosphaeridium pseudorecurvatum holotype or paratype processes are intratabular one on each plate. But the founders of the species classified all the speciemens with 15-35 processes in this species(Morgenroth, 1966, p. 30); later Eaton (1967, p. 274) also made the same classification. Obviously, it seems to be defective to classify specimens with 35 or more processes into H. pseudorecurvatum with 15-22 processes. The current specimen is about the same as that of Eaton's ( His specimens body diameter 21-33 μm, process 8-20 μm long, and about 40 processes.). The only difference is that the distal plate is small, so these specimens can be classified into this new species. The new species is classified into this genus with question due to the type of archeopyle is unknown. Specimens resembling this new species are found in Eocene southern England.
Location and stratigraphy: Wucha County Basebulak, Wulagen fm.