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Cordosphaeridium solidospinosum
Cordossphaeridium solidospinosum Gedl, 1995, p.197, pl.4, fig.2; pl.5, figs.7-8. Holotype: Gedl, 1995, pl.5, figs.7-8. Questionable assignment: Gedl (1995, p.197). Age: Early-Mid Eocene.
Description: Cyst chorate, subspherical. Cyst wall thick, faintly to strongly ornatmented. Processes solid, nonfibrous, slender and relatively thin, bifurcate or trifurcate, often complexly branched distally. Archeopyle precingular (3’’); operculum free. Holotype: Slide R.IV-2, England Finder coordaintes [K 42.2]. Type locality: Magura Formation, lower part (Magura Nappe, Polish Flysch Carpathians). Left bank of Rogoznik Wielki stream at Rogoznik village, 10 km west of Nowy Targ. Derivation of name: Latin, solidus, solid; spinosus, thorny – referring to the appearance of the processes. Dimensions: Diameter of central body 50-60 μm x 70-80 μm, length of processes 40 μm. Occurrence: Ypresian-Lutetian of the Woensdrechts boring (S Netherlands), as Cordosphaeridium aff. Inodes gracilis of De Coninck (1977); Middle Eocene of the Polish Flysch Carpathians (magura Nappe), this study. Comparison: The character of the processes distinguishes Cordosphaeridium? Solidospinum from all previously described forms. C.? cracenospinosum which also has slender, nonfibrous processes, possesses hollow, distally expanded ones which are lacking in C.? solidospinosum. Processes do not arise from periphragm ridges in C.? solidospinosum contrary to those of C.? carcenospinosum. C.? solidospinosum differs from Operculadinium microtriainum which has also solid processes by the nontabular character of the processes of the latter. Also the terminations of the processes of O. microtriainum are different. Discussion: These forms are tentatively assigned to the genus Cordosphaeridium: their processes are non-fibrous, atypical for the genus. There are however several forms of cordosphaeridium gracile observed in the Rogoznik samples showing some processes of the same character as C.? solidospinosum. This may indicate a close affinity to these two species. These forms were also assigned to the genus Cordosphaeridium (as C. aff. Inodes gracilis) by De Coninck (1977).
Description: Cyst chorate, subspherical. Cyst wall thick, faintly to strongly ornatmented. Processes solid, nonfibrous, slender and relatively thin, bifurcate or trifurcate, often complexly branched distally. Archeopyle precingular (3’’); operculum free. Holotype: Slide R.IV-2, England Finder coordaintes [K 42.2]. Type locality: Magura Formation, lower part (Magura Nappe, Polish Flysch Carpathians). Left bank of Rogoznik Wielki stream at Rogoznik village, 10 km west of Nowy Targ. Derivation of name: Latin, solidus, solid; spinosus, thorny – referring to the appearance of the processes. Dimensions: Diameter of central body 50-60 μm x 70-80 μm, length of processes 40 μm. Occurrence: Ypresian-Lutetian of the Woensdrechts boring (S Netherlands), as Cordosphaeridium aff. Inodes gracilis of De Coninck (1977); Middle Eocene of the Polish Flysch Carpathians (magura Nappe), this study. Comparison: The character of the processes distinguishes Cordosphaeridium? Solidospinum from all previously described forms. C.? cracenospinosum which also has slender, nonfibrous processes, possesses hollow, distally expanded ones which are lacking in C.? solidospinosum. Processes do not arise from periphragm ridges in C.? solidospinosum contrary to those of C.? carcenospinosum. C.? solidospinosum differs from Operculadinium microtriainum which has also solid processes by the nontabular character of the processes of the latter. Also the terminations of the processes of O. microtriainum are different. Discussion: These forms are tentatively assigned to the genus Cordosphaeridium: their processes are non-fibrous, atypical for the genus. There are however several forms of cordosphaeridium gracile observed in the Rogoznik samples showing some processes of the same character as C.? solidospinosum. This may indicate a close affinity to these two species. These forms were also assigned to the genus Cordosphaeridium (as C. aff. Inodes gracilis) by De Coninck (1977).