Lithomelissa sp. D

Trubovitz, Sarah, Renaudie, Johan, Lazarus, David & Noble, Paula, 2022, Late Neogene Lophophaenidae (Nassellaria, Radiolaria) from the eastern equatorial Pacific, Zootaxa 5160 (1), pp. 1-158 : 47

Lithomelissa sp. D

Plate 16, Figs. 8A–B .

Lithomelissa sp 1 , Trubovitz et al., 2020, supplementary data 7.

Remarks. This species has a compressed, asymmetrical cephalis, which is longer than it is wide. It differs from L. ehrenbergi (Pl. 15, Figs. 7A–C ) in that it does not have an extended neck, and differs from L. mitra (Pl. 15, Figs. 4A – 6 ) in that cephalis is not round. The large, framed pores differentiate this species from L. alkonost n. sp. (Pl. 16, Figs. 1A – 7B ) and L. sirin n. sp. (Pl. 17, Figs. 1 –11B). Thus, this species does not seem to fit in any of the species categories for far described, but here we leave it in open nomenclature until a better understanding of its variability can be reached.

Material examined. 15 specimens observed from samples 321-1337A-16H- 6, 121–124cm (Late Miocene), 321-1337A-10H-2, 91–94cm (Early Pliocene), 321-1337A-7H- 6, 104–107cm (Early Pliocene), 321-1337A-6H-3, 29–32cm (Late Pliocene), 321-1337A-4H-2, 16–19cm (Middle Pleistocene), 321-1337A-3H- 2, 103–106cm (Middle Pleistocene), 321-1337A-2H-3, 76–79cm (Late Pleistocene).

Range. Late Miocene—Pleistocene, EEP ( Table 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Diagram illustrating the general skeletal morphology of Lophophaenidae, and terminology used in this manuscript. Dashed lines indicate spines that are not visible from the angle shown, as they extend into the skeleton. An example specimen of Lophophaena casperi n. sp. is included for comparison to the diagrams.

FIGURE 4. Examples of specimen measurements discussed in the Systematic Paleontology section of this study.

FIGURE 6. Internal skeletal structure of Arachnocorallium calvata (Haeckel, 1887) Petrushevskaya, 1971.

FIGURE 7. Internal skeletal structure of Arachnocorys umbellifera (Haeckel, 1862) Petrushevskaya, 1971.

FIGURE 8. Internal skeletal structure of Botryopera amabie n. sp.