Charlottea elegantissima Tekin, n. sp. (Fig. 9 J-L)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 55CA8859-77C0-445D-81BF-D961D20F6D64

HOLOTYPE. — Sample Orbuk-32, HU.JMB.0139 (Fig. 9J).

PARATYPES. — HU.JMB.0140 (Fig. 9K), HU.JMB.0141 (Fig. 9L).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Orbuklukeli section, Mersin Mélange, NW of Mersin city, southern Turkey.

ETYMOLOGY. — From the Latin elegantissima, most elegant, due its elegant test.

OCCURRENCE. — Lower Jurassic, upper Hettangian-lower Sinemurian of the Orbuklukeli section, Mersin Mélange, NW of Mersin city, southern Turkey.

DIMENSIONS (based on three specimens, in µm). — Maximum diameter of cortical shell: 80-100 (holotype: 80, average: 90); Maximum length of spine: 80-100 (holotype: 90, average: 90).

DESCRIPTION

Test small, slightly inflated globular with three primary spines. Cortical shell with small to medium sized, trigonal to tetragonal pore frames with subcircular nodes at pore frame vertices. Primary spines thin, needle-like throughout their length, subcircular in transversal section, tapering gradually to the distal end. Length of primary spines approximately equal to the diameter of the cortical shell.

REMARKS

This species differs from Charlottea johnsoni (Carter et al. 1998: 38-39, pl. 3, figs 5, 10, 13, 14) by having a smaller test with needle-like primary spines throughout their length.