Mentors : the generation 1935-1985

The lives and scientific contributions of five eminent academic geologists and paleontologists; James Alloiteau (Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France), Dorothy Hill (University of Queensland, Australia), Marius Lecompte (University of Louvain, Belgium), Masao Minato (Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan), and Maria Różkowska (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland) are briefly summarized here. Each of these paleontologists made major contributions to the study of fossil corals and/or sponges, and each overcame considerable difficulties and disruptions in their lives to excel as mentors to us. All showed remarkable determination and love for paleontological research, and inspired their students and colleagues to understand details of structure and systematic positions of fossil corals and sponges. Each of these individual mentors was the subject of a presentation by a former student at the 11th International Symposium on Fossil Corals and Sponges in Liege, Belgium; thus, somewhat broader coverage of each is provided in the abstracts volume of the meeting

First record of Rhabdoceras suessi (Ammonoidea, Late Triassic) from the Transylvanian Triassic Series of the Eastern Carpathians (Romania) and a review of its biochronology, paleobiogeography and paleoecology

Abstract The occurrence of the heteromorphic ammonoid Rhabdoceras suessi Hauer, 1860, is recorded for the first time in the Upper Triassic limestone of the Timon-Ciungi olistolith in the Rarău Syncline, Eastern Carpathians. A single specimen of Rhabdoceras suessi co-occurs with Monotis (Monotis) salinaria that constrains its occurrence here to the Upper Norian (Sevatian 1). It is the only known heteromorphic ammonoid in the Upper Triassic of the Romanian Carpathians. Rhabdoceras suessi is a cosmopolitan species widely recorded in low and mid-paleolatitude faunas. It ranges from the Late Norian to the Rhaetian and is suitable for high-resolution worldwide correlations only when it co-occurs with shorter-ranging choristoceratids, monotid bivalves, or the hydrozoan Heterastridium. Formerly considered as the index fossil for the Upper Norian (Sevatian) Suessi Zone, by the latest 1970s this species lost its key biochronologic status among Late Triassic ammonoids, and it generated a controversy in the 1980s concerning the status of the Rhaetian stage. New stratigraphic data from North America and Europe in the subsequent decades resulted in a revised ammonoid biostratigraphy for the uppermost Triassic, the Rhaetian being reinstalled as the topmost stage in the current standard timescale of the Triassic. The geographic distribution of Rhabdoceras is compiled from published worldwide records, and its paleobiogeography and paleoecology are discussed

Early Norian (Triassic) corals from the Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria, and the intra-Norian faunal turnover

The first description of early Norian coral fauna from the Northern Calcareous Alps (Dachstein Plateau and Gosaukamm), Austria, is presented: 31 scleractinian species from 24 genera (including three corals not formally determined), and three hexanthiniarian species belonging to two genera. The stratigraphical position of the main part of the fauna discovered in the South Dachstein Plateau at the Feisterscharte is determined by means of the conodont Epigondolella quadrata (Lacian 1); single finds are from the horizons with Epigondolella triangularis and Norigondolella navicula (Lacian 3), and one close to the horizon with Epigondolella cf. multidentata (Alaunian 1). Rare corals from the Gosaukamm are from the Lacian 1 and Alaunian. Five species are described as new: Retiophyllia vesicularis, Retiophyllia aranea, Margarosmilia adhios, Hydrasmilia laciana; one new genus and species from the family Coryphylliidae, Margarogyra hirsuta; one new genus and species, Thamnasterites astreoides, cannot be assigned to a family. Two hexanthiniarian species, Pachysolenia cylindrica and Pachydendron microthallos, known exclusively from the Tethyan lower Norian, represent stratigraphically valuable species. A regularly porous coral from the family Microsolenidae, Eocomoseris, which up to now has only been known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous, is here identified from the Triassic strata (originally described as Spongiomorpha [Hexastylopsis] ramosa). Predominant taxa show solitary and phaceloid (pseudocolonial) growth forms and an epithecal wall; pennules−bearing corals are common. Carnian genera and genera typical of the Lacian and Lacian–early Alaunian prevail; a hydrozoan genus Cassianastraea has also been encountered as well as a scleractiamorph coral, Furcophyllia septafindens). The faunal composition contrasts with that of well known late Norian–Rhaetian ones, the difference being observed not only at the generic but also at the family level. The post−early Norian change in coral spectrum documents the turnover of the coral fauna preceding that at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary

Przykłady jurajskich korali pennularnych i niepennularnych

Four Malmian corals of different microstructures have been described: Thamnasteria concinna, Dimorphastraea sp., Actinaraeopsis exilis and Isastraea cf. bernensis. Aragonite coral tissue being preserved, histological observations have been initiated. Taxonomical value of microstructure and histology, as decisive for suprageneric division, is confirmed. In four discussed species, trabeculae are of a branched morphology and non-sclerodermitic structure. Each species represents a different variety of trabecular histology. A restricted significance of synapticulae for taxonomical purposes is confirmed. Are described vertical adtrabecular bars, a new skeletal element, in Th. concinna.Jurajskie korale znalezione w osadach lodowcowych na Pomorzu (Roniewicz in press) przedstawiają interesujący materiał paleontologiczny, gdyż ich aragonitowy szkielet nie uległ kalcytyzacji. Doskonały stan zachowania szkieletu pozwolił na nowe zbadanie czterech gatunków: Thamnasteria concinna (Goldfuss, 1826) i Dimorphastraea sp. spośród pennularnych oraz Actinaraeopsis exilis Roniewicz, 1968 i Isastraea cf. bernensis Etallon, 1864 spośród niepennularnych. Nowe dane morfologiczne i mikrostrukturalne pozwalają na przeprowadzenie rewizji dotychczasowej diagnozy rodzaju Thamnasteria Lesauvage, 1823. Generalnie, przeczą też one panującemu poglądowi na mikrostrukturę korali, który mówi, że trabekule są zbudowane z porcji szkieletowych — sklerodermitów. Natomiast dane te potwierdzają pogląd Gilla 1970 oraz Gilla i Lafuste’a (1971), że trabekule mają przyrost ciągły. Mikrostruktura szkieletu (a gdy ta nie jest zachowana, to w ograniczonym zakresie, jej odbicie w postaci ornamentacji septalnej) wysuwają się jako główne kryteria wydzieleń taksonomicznych na poziomie ponad-rodzajowym. Wśród korali o rozgałęzionych trabekulach uzasadnione wydaje się wydzielenie kilku różnych grup korali pennularnych, grupy niepennularnych z ostrymi guzkami (którym Gill 1967, potem Gill i Lafuste 1971 proponują, odpowiednio, nazwy Pennulacea i Montlivaltioidea), niepennularnych z cienkimi i długimi odgałęzieniami typu neoripidakantowego, i in. Przeprowadzono przegląd budowy elementów typu synaptikularnego, która okazuje się bardzo różnorodna, lecz niezwiązana z określonym typem mikrostruktury septów. Ze względu na to zakwestionowano przydatność synaptikul dla systematyki

Cylismilia nom. n. (Scleractinia, Jurassic)

The generic name used lor an early Kirameridgian coral from Dobrogea, Cylindrosmilia Roniewicz, 1976 (type species: Cylindrosmilia cylindrica Roniewicz, 1976 is preoccupied by Cylindrosmilia Quenstedt, 1880 (type species: Cylindrosmilia reticulata Quenstedt, 1880) from the late Kimmeridgian of Nattheim. It was Wells’ list of coral generic taxa published recently (1987) which recorded this nomenclatural irregularity. To avoid the homonymy a new name Cylismilia (type species: Cylindrosmilia cylindrata Roniewicz, 1976) is here proposed to replace Cylindrosmilia Roniewicz, 1976. The new name has been obtained by shortening of the original one

Correction of homonymy of generic name Cyclophyllia Roniewicz, 1989 (Scleractinia) into Cycliphyllia nom. n.

A new generic name, Cycliphyllia, is here proposed as a replacement name for Cyclophyllia Roniewiecz, 1989 (type species: Thecosmilia cyclica Schaefer et Senowbari-Daryan, 1978, Upper Triassic). The latter is a junior homonyme of Cyclophyllia Milne-Edwards et Haime, 1848 (type species: Cyclolites cristata Lamarck, 1801, Cretaceous), an invalid name, which is a junior synonyme of Aspidiscus Koenig, 1825 (Milne-Edwards 1857: t. 2, p. 386). This regrettable error has been noticed thanks to the List of generic names by Wells (1986). As a consequence of the above change, the orthography of the family name Cyclophylliidae Roniewicz, 1989 is here corrected into Cycliphylliidae