Stylophyllopsis Frech, 1890

Stolarski, Jarosław & Russo, Antonio, 2002, Microstructural diversity of the stylophyllid (Scleractinia) skeleton, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 47 (4), pp. 651-666 : 656

Genus Stylophyllopsis Frech, 1890

Diagnosis (emended).—Solitary or phaceloid stylophyllid with cylindrical or trochoid coralla. Septal spines embedded in stereome and form compact septa; spines on septal axial edge dissociated.

Remarks.— Frech (1890) suggested that many species of Montlivaltia and Thecosmilia from the English Lias (= Early Jurassic) should be included in the genus Stylophyllopsis basedonseptalstructure,andotherlessimportantfeatures(see also Straw 1925). Roniewicz (1989: 123) included in Stylophyllopsis the following Early Jurassic species: S. brevis ( Duncan, 1867) ; S. mucronata ( Duncan, 1867) ; S. murchisoni ( Duncan, 1867) ; S. patula ( Duncan, 1867) ; S. rugosa (Duncan and Wright, 1867) ; S. victoriae ( Duncan, 1867) ; S. walliae ( Duncan, 1867) ; S. elchabirensis Beauvais, 1986 ; Stylophyllopsis in Turnsek et al. 1975. Actually, the number of Early Jurassic species may be higher, as one may guess morphologies of various Montlivaltia from yet unrevised Early Jurassic coral collections (e.g., Airaghi 1907; Dulai 1995).