HEMIPORITIDAE Alloiteau, 1952

Löser, Hannes, 2012, Revision of the family Hemiporitidae (Scleractinia, Late Cretaceous), Geodiversitas 34 (2), pp. 399-407 : 400-401

Family HEMIPORITIDAE Alloiteau, 1952

RANGE. — Turonian to Maastrichtian.

DIAGNOSIS. — Cerioid and plocoid colonies. Septa compact, made of large trabeculae. Lateral faces of septa poorly ornamented. Septa may be connected to each other in the centre of the calice. Septa inner margin swollen. Costae short and non-confluent. Synapticulae absent. Columella lamellar, strong. Wall septothecal, in places paraseptothecal, subcompact. Endotheca present. Budding extracalicinal and intracalicinal.

SYSTEMATIC POSITION

The scleractinian coral family Hemiporitidae was established by Alloiteau (1952) within the suborder Meandrinina (Meandrina auct.) Alloiteau, 1952. The problematic background of the suborder Meandrinina has been discussed in Löser et al. (2010). It is one of the most problematic groups of the order Scleractinia because it groups together material differing in various aspects. The suborder was originally established as a group with small trabeculae and therefore poorly ornamented or smooth septal distal borders. This concept was weakened in Alloiteau (1957) with details on the micro architecture of Hemiporites Alloiteau, 1952 , the name-giving genus of the Hemiporitidae family (which has been assigned to the Meandrinina suborder). Material presented by him and later by Beauvais (1982) show rather large trabeculae. That qualifies the family belonging to the Faviina suborder as a family presenting large trabeculae and sparse septal ornamentation. The material studied here show traces of preserved microstructure and confirms the existence of large trabeculae and sparse ornamentation of the septal lateral faces ( Fig. 2E ). The family is therefore transferred into the suborder Faviina .

Baron-Szabo (2008) included the family Hemiporitidae into the Agatheliidae Beauvais & Beauvais, 1975 family. Both families differ in many features (size of trabeculae, ornamentation of septal faces, constitution of the wall) and are not synonymous.

COMPARISON

The Hemiporitidae shares with the Placocoeniidae Duncan, 1884 the microstructure, septal formation, and the columella, but differ in the formation of the coenosteum and the short costae. They differ from the Placosmiliidae Duncan, 1884 by the formation of the inner margin of the septa and larger trabeculae.

GENERA OF THE FAMILY

When established, the family Hemiporitidae encompassed four genera: Ficariastraea Alloiteau, 1952 , Hemiporites , Placocaeniopsis Alloiteau, 1952 and Nefocoenia Oppenheim, 1930 . Later, other genera were assigned to this family. Here, only the genera Cerionefocoenia , Hemiporites and Pachynefocoenia Reig Oriol, 1989 are included. For the systematic position of the other genera see below.

Figures

FIG. 2. — A-F, Hemiporites jacobi Alloiteau, 1952: A-E, holotype MNHN.F.R10937 (transverse thin section); F, unnumbered thin section that may belong to the holotype (longitudinal thin section); G-I, Cerionefocoenia iberica Reig Oriol, 1995, holotype MGSB 55826; G, H, transverse thin sections;I, longitudinal thin section;J-L, Pachynefocoenia danieli Reig Oriol,1989,holotype MGSB 47205.Scale bars: A-C, F-L, 2 mm; D, E, 500 µm.