Archaeopyramisa Cheng, 1986

Noble, Paula, Aitchison, Jonathan C., Danelian, Taniel, Dumitrica, Paulian, Maletz, Jörg, Suzuki, Noritoshi, Cuvelier, Jessie, Caridroit, Martial & O’Dogherty, Luis, 2017, Taxonomy of Paleozoic radiolarian genera, Geodiversitas 39 (3), pp. 419-502 : 468

Archaeopyramisa Cheng, 1986

Archaeopyramisa Cheng, 1986: 185 .

TYPE SPECIES. — Archaeopyramisa haeckeli Cheng, 1986 ( Cheng 1986: 186, pl. 4, fig. 4, 5, 11, 13, 17-19, 22, pl. 5, fig. 1, 18, 19, 22).

AGE AND LOCATION OF TYPE MATERIAL. — Lower Carboniferous, Oklahoma and Arkansas, USA.

TAXON CODE. — 203.

STATUS. — Junior synonym of Tetragregnon Nazarov & Ormiston, 1985 (by De Wever et al. 2001: 101, 102).

DIAGNOSIS. — “Test pyramidal, sub-tetrahedral, sub-spherical to spherical with four solid spines at tips. Cortical shell variably labyrinthine with hollow bars connected irregularly forming polygonal pores. Latticed medullary shell centrally positioned with polygonal pore frames, variable in shape connected to cortical shell by radially arranged hollow beams. Radial beams originating from four corners of medullary shell which is continuous with six edges of medullary shell and appearing to be continuous with solid spines of cortical shell. Meshwork of cortical shell decreasing in density towards central area and usually leaving a space between cortical and medullary shells or with only loosely labyrinthine meshwork.” ( Cheng 1986: 185).

REMARKS

De Wever et al. (2001) synonymize this genus with another tetrahedral form, Tetratormentum . Herein, we consider the shell construction closer to Tetragregnon , because of the spongiose nature of the shell throughout. The latticed medullary shell described by Cheng is not clearly illustrated in his SEM photos but appears to part of the inner meshwork of a Tetragregnon . we do not recognize the “labyrinthine“ hollow bars as a diagnostic criterion as discussed under the family Latentifistuliade . The diagnosis of Archaeopyramisa contains all of the diagnostic characters of Tetragregnon Nazarov & Ormiston, 1985 , including the presence of a latticed medullary shell four rays, and the gross shape and labyrinthine meshwork covering the medullary shell. One difference is the stated variability of the shape of the medullary shell in Archaeopyramisa , but we do not consider this sufficient to warrant a new genus. Given its occurrence in the same age material, and the strong morphological similarity in other ways, we support the synonymy under Tetratormentum .