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Operculodinium floridium

Operculodinium floridium Warny et Wrenn, 1997

Holotype: Warny et Wrenn, 1997: Plate IV, 1, 3 and 5
Type locality: Bou Regreg S Core, Sale, Riffian Corridor, Morocco.
Stratum typicum: Messinian
Stratigraphic range: Miocene in the Bou Regreg Core, samples B106 ( 182.90 m) S12 (13.34 m).
Oligocene to Pliocene in the Exxon Core CH 32-45 (Fig. 2).

synonym:
1989 Operculodinium cf giganteum Manum et al., p. 653, pl. 14, 12-13.
1989 Operculodinium sp. A, Wrenn and Satchell, p. 289.

Original diagnosis: Warny et Wrenn, 1997, p. 287, 290
A very large species of Operculodinium with short, fibrous, intratabular spines that often share a common base. The tabular clusters of spines are separated by unornamented parasutural bands.

Description: Warny et Wrenn, 1997, p. 287, 290
Shape: Spherical chorate cyst. Phragma: It is unclear whether the cyst wall is composed of an autophragm or a closely appressed peri- and endophragm. The granular cyst surface gives rise to fibrous spine bases. The total wall thickness is about 2.0Ám. Spines: Numerous short, conical fibrous spines, whose bases are often linked together, delimit tabulation. Spine terminations are generally acicular. The basal diameter of the spines varies from 2.0-(3.0)-5.0 Ám and their length from 2.0-(5.0)-10.0 Ám. Archeopyle: Precingular Type P (3 " only), the operculum is free. Paratabulation: The intratabular distribution of spines defines a gonyaulacoid paratabulation, with a formula 4" 5" X C 5-6"" l""?s?p. Paracingulum: Two parallel rows of intratabular spines border and define the margin of the paracingulum. The paracingulum itself is expressed as an unornamented equatorial band.
Parasulcus: Poorly defined by small clusters of spines surrounded by unornamented areas.

Dimensions: Holotype: Diameter of cyst 81.6Ám. Mean (x) and extreme values for n= 12: diameter
of cyst 58.0-(71.0)-83.0 Ám.

Comparison: O. floridium is similar to Operculodinium giganteum Wall, 1967 but the intratabular spines of O. floridium are longer, wider and conical in shape rather than non-tabular, very short and distally capitate like those of O. giganteum. In addition, O. floridium is subspherical to spherical rather than flattened apically and antapically as is O. giganteum Wall, 1967.

Comments: Warny et Wrenn, 1997, p. 287, 290
In the Bou Regreg section, O. floridium occurs only in Miocene samples whereas in the Exxon CH 32-45 corehole, from the west Florida Carbonate Ramp, it is present in samples of Oligocene to Pliocene age (Wrenn and Satchell, 1989; Wrenn, unpubl. data). Manum et al. (1989) reported O. floridium (as O. cf. giganteum, pl. 14, figs. 12-13) from Middle Miocene samples from ODP Leg 104, site 642c.
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