Hindeastraea discoidea White, 1888

Baron-Szabo, Rosemarie C., 2008, Dendrophylliina, Caryophylliina, Fungiina, Microsolenina, and Stylinina, Zootaxa 1952, pp. 1-244 : 160-161

Hindeastraea discoidea White, 1888

?1880 Litharea grandis, Duncan : Duncan, p. 57, pl. 11, figs 11–13.

v*1888 Hindeastraea discoidea , sp. nov: White, p. 363, figs 1–5.

1898 Isastraea dicoidea (White) : Frech, p. 322.

1914 Isastraea discoidea Ch. White sp. 1888: Felix, pars 7, p. 174.

v1929 Hindeastraea collinensis , new species: Hoffmeister, p. 2, pl. 1, figs 1–2, pl. 2, figs 2–4.

1951 Hindeastraea discoidea White : Perkins, p. 5–10, pl. 1, figs 1–10, pl. 2, figs 1–9.

2000 Hindeastraea collinensis, Hoffmeister 1929 : Löser, p. 41.

2000 Hindeastraea discoidea White 1888 : Löser, p. 41.

v2002 Hindeastraea discoidea White, 1888 : Baron-Szabo, p. 61, pl. 44, figs 1–3.

v2002 Hindeastraea collinensis Hoffmeister, 1929 : Baron-Szabo, p. 61, pl. 43, fig. 6.

Dimensions. d (max)=5–8.5 mm, juvenile corallites are around 4 mm, corallites in late adult stages are around 10 mm; s=24–30.

Description. Cerioid, submassive colony; corallites irregularly polygonal in outline; septa arranged in 3 complete cycles in 6 systems, alternating in length and thickness; septa of a beginning fourth cycle generally present; spongy-papillose columella well-developed; endothecal dissepiments vesicular, generally deep in corallum.

Remarks. In having compact septa with rare pores, synapticulothecal and septothecal walls, the latter of which seems to be formed by inflexion and thickening of peripheral ends of septa, and in having a spongypapillose columella, the material described by Duncan (1880, pl. 11, figs 11–13) as Litharea grandis from the Danian of Pakistan seems to very closely correspond to the genus Hindeastraea White, 1888 . Regarding the dimensions of skeletal elements, the description given by Duncan differs from the illustrations of the type material (e.g., Duncan gave a septal number of 24, the illustration shows corallites with up 30 septa as well as corallites with only around 18 septa. Furthermore, Duncan reported a maximum corallite diameter of generally 10 mm (to 12.5 mm), whereas the illustration shows a corallite diameter [d (max)] of generally 6.5–8.5 mm). Because that the type material was not available for study, the grouping with Hindeastraea discoidea is provisional.

Type locality of species. Maastrichtian of the USA ( Navarro Formation , Texas) .

Distribution. Campanian-Maastrichtian of the USA (Taylor marl and Navarro Formation, Texas),?Danian of Pakistan.