Hamarophyllum, Berkowski, 2004

Berkowski, Błażej, 2004, Monospecific rugosan assemblage from the Emsian hydrothermal vents of Morocco, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 49 (1), pp. 75-84 : 82

Genus Hamarophyllum nov.

Derivation of the name:AfterHamarLaghdadinMorocco—thecollecting area.

Type species: Hamarophyllum belkai .

Species assigned.— Hamarophyllum belkai , Laccophyllum sp. of Weyer 1990: 26.

Stratigraphic and geographic occurrence.—Emsian (Zlichovian) mud mounds of Hamar Laghdad and Early or Middle Givetian of the Lower Harz Mountains.

Diagnosis.—Small, solitary coral possessing very deep calice;externalwallthickwithhardlyvisibleseptalfurrows; major septa form a continuous aulos; cardinal septum equal to adjacent septa, counter septum may be slightly longer; counter−lateralminorsepta(Km)forminconstanttriad;most of minor septa contratingent at younger stages, contraclined or free in maturity; tabularium bifiorm.

Remarks.— Hamarophyllum gen.nov. displaysmostcharacters of Laccophyllum Simpson, 1900 . However, the inconstant position of minor septa forms main and easily distinguishable difference between those genera. Namely, in Laccophyllum they are continuously contratingent, whereas in Hamarophyllum theymaybeeithercontratingentor,especially in mature stages, contraclined or free. Permanent contratingency of minor septa is a typical character for all representativesofthefamilyProtozaphrentidae sensu Weyer (2001) known to date. However, the present observations madeon Hamarophyllum gen.nov. indicatethatthischaractermaybeinconsistentduringtheontogenyofonespecimen, so it is regarded here to be sufficient to create at least a separate genus.

Similar character is also observed in Laccophyllum sp. figured by Weyer (1990: 26) described from the Early or Middle Givetian strata ( Amplexus −kalk) of Buchenberg in Lower Harz Mountains.