Pattalophyllia D’Achiardi, 1867

Baron-Szabo, Rosemarie C., 2008, Dendrophylliina, Caryophylliina, Fungiina, Microsolenina, and Stylinina, Zootaxa 1952, pp. 1-244 : 140-141

Genus Pattalophyllia D’Achiardi, 1867

(= Leptaxis Reuss, 1867 non Lowe, 1852, Type species. Leptaxis elliptica Reuss, 1867 , Oligocene of Italy [Monte Grumi]);

(= Stephanosmilia Reuss, 1874 non de Fromentel, 1862 [= Cricocyathus Quenstedt, 1881 ], Type species. Cyathophyllia annulata Reuss, 1868 , Oligocene of Italy [Vicentin]);

(= Petrophylliella Felix, 1925 . Type species. Caryophyllia grumi Catullo, 1852 , Oligocene of Italy [Monte Grumi]).

(= Vivesastraea Alloiteau & Tissier, 1958 , Type species. Vivesastraea villattae Alloiteau & Tissier, 1958 , Paleocene of France);

(= Pattalophylliopsis Vaudois-Miéja, 1964 , Type species. Pattalophylliopsis epitheca Vaudois-Miéja, 1964 , Eocene of France [Cluses]);

(= Chevalieriphyllia Russo, 1979, Type species. Pattalophyllia costata d’Achiardi, 1881 , Eocene of Italy)

Type species. Turbinolia subinflata Catullo, 1856 , Eocene of Italy .

Diagnosis. Solitary, variably conical (e.g. turbinate, trochoid). Temporary colonial status due to lateral gemmation may occur. Septa compact-subcompact (older cycles) to perforated (younger cycles), strongly granulated laterally. Pali irregularly before all septal cycles, generally very elongate. Columella trabecular, variably and well-developed (e.g., spongy, papillose, net-like, lamellar). Endothecal dissepiments thin, vesicular, numerous. Wall synapticulothecal and septothecal. Peripheral stereozone present. Epithecal wall present or reduced.

Remarks. Alloiteau & Tissier (1958) created the genus Vivesastraea and presented several figures of the type material, one of which does not correspond to the photographs of the holotype nor to the diagnosis of the genus. According to the authors, their text-fig. 3 is an illustration of the holotype of the type species. This textfigure shows a specimen with 24 septa arranged according to the Pourtalés plan, a lamellar columella, as well as the absence of a stereozone and paliform lobes. Even though the text-figure corresponds exactly to the description of the type species, Vivesastraea villattae , it completely differs from the diagnosis the authors gave for the genus Vivesastraea . However, both the description and text-figure 3 match in every detail the ones presented for a specimen they assigned to Asterosmilia prolifer , illustrated on plate 2, fig. 4’b’.

According to Alloiteau & Tissier (1958), the specimen illustrated on plate 2, figures 3 a–b and 3 a’–b’ represents the holotype of the type species of the genus Vivesastraea . These figures very well correspond to the generic diagnosis. Even though they differ from the species description, they are accepted here as represented in Alloiteau & Tissier (1958, pl. 2, figs 3 a–b and 3 a’–b’) can be used to give the following specific diagnosis:

Solitary, turbinate; corallite diameter 14 mm, height 10 mm; costosepta compact (older cycles) to subcompact (younger cycles), coarsely granulated and carinated laterally, around 100 septa present, which are arranged in (?) 5 complete cycles in (?) 6 systems, first 3 cycles reach the corallite centre; paliform lobes elongate, occurring irregularly before septa of all cycles; wall synapticulothecal and septothecal; peripheral stereozone present; columella trabecular; synapticulae abundant; endothecal dissepiments sparse.

Based on the species Pattalophyllia costata d’Achiardi, 1881 , Russo (1979, p. 56) created the genus Chevalieriphyllia, indicating that it differed from Pattalophyllia only by lacking pali. Although no pali can be seen in the figure of the specimen called a “ syntype ” of Chevalieriphyllia costata see Russo (1979, pl. 5, fig. 5), pali appear to be irregularly present in the figure of the specimen that Russo identified as the “ lectotype ” of Chevalieriphyllia costata in Russo (1979, pl. 5, figs 2a and 2b). Therefore, the genus C hevalieriphyllia Russo, 1979, is considered a junior synonmy of Pattalophyllia .

In the original description of Stephanosmilia Reuss, 1874 (see Reuss 1874, p. 28), it is stated that the type specimens (1874/3/54 #4 and #5, originals of the figures in Reuss, 1874, pl. 43, figs 4 and 5) lacked endothecal dissepiments (…‘Mangel an Endothecallamellen‘…). However, re-investigation of the type material revealed that endothecal dissepiments occur deep in the corallum and are very abundant. Thus, since the absence of this feature represented the only difference to Pattalophyllia , the genus Cricocyathus Quenstedt, 1881 (ex Stephanosmilia Reuss, 1874 non Fromentel, 1862) closely corresponds to the genus Pattalophyllia D’Achiardi, 1867 , in all skeletal structures.