A new species of the dasyclad genus Salpingoporella, S. donatae, is characterized by wavy primary ramifications, which makes it easily distinguishable from other species of the genus. It derives from platy algal pelletal packstones and grainstones from the Lower Coniacian to Campanian deposits of the environs of Primosten, Dalmatia. Uragiella matzi SOKAC & VELIC has already been described from the same deposits

B. Sokač

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1. INTRODUCTIONThe sample of algal limestone, containing, amongother species, also numerous sections of the speciesdescribed herein, had been collected more than 20 yearsago by Pavao Mamu¾iæ and Bo¹ko Korolija. They wereinvolved in geological mapping of the area around Pri-mo¹ten and devoted their particular attention to UpperCretaceous deposits. The first samples were collectedfrom a partly investigated cross-section of platy lime-stones near the gas station at the entrance to Primo¹ten.Later the same locality was revisited and more samplescollected, which contained enough sections for the newdasyclad species to be described, in addition to the ear-lier established Uragiella matzi SOKAÈ & VELIÆ.Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. (Dasycladales) from Upper CretaceousLimestone of the Environs of Primo¹ten (Dalmatia, Croatia)Branko SOKAÈ2. SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTIONOrder DasycladalesTribe Salpingoporellae BASSOULLET et al., 1979Genus Salpingoporella PIA, 1918Salpingoporella donatae n.sp.Plates I-III?1995 Salpingoporella ubaiydhi RADOIÈIÆ.- OKLA,p. 479, fig. 3/8.Origin of name: The species is dedicated to thememory of the late Donata NEDLA-DEVID whowas the teacher of geological mapping for many genera-tions of geology students at the Faculty of Science, Uni-versity of Zagreb.T y p e - l o c a l i t y : Outcrop of platy limestone in theroad cutting near the gas station at the entry to Primo-¹ten, 43¡35Õ17ÓN, 15¡54Õ08ÓE (Fig. 1).Type stratum: Very well-bedded, light brown tobrown platy limestones, algal-peloidal packstone tograinstone, which, in addition to calcite cement, alsocontains some matrix recrystallized into microsparite.The sediment was deposited in a shallow subtidal lowenergy environment. A Lower Coniacian to Campanianage is based on superposition.H o l o t y p e : Tangential-longitudinal-oblique sectionfigured in Pl. I, Fig. 2, in thin section labelled PR-79-1/37. Paratypes are other, variously oriented, sectionsfigured in Pls. I-III. The material is stored at the Insti-tute of Geology in Zagreb.D i a g n o s i s : The new species includes the generalcharacteristics of the genus S a l p i n g o p o r e l l a . The speci-es-specific feature is the wavy (humpy) shape of the pri-mary branches, which are arranged in densely packedwhorls. The branches are widened at their distal end andcircular or slightly depressed in cross sections.Dimensions in mm: See Table 1.D e s c r i p t i o n : The alga has a slender, cylindricalskeleton with a comparatively narrow central cavity andoccasionally a more or less curved thallus (Pl. I, Fig. 1;Pl. II, Fig. 4). The inner surface (wall of the axial cavi-ty) is even and uninterrupted, clearly and sharply delin-G EOL.  CROAT. 53/1 199 - 207 1 Fig. 1 Tab. 3 Pls. ZAGREB 2000Key words: Calcareous alga (Dasycladales), UpperCretaceous, Dalmatia, Croatia.Institute of Geology, Sachsova 2, P.O.Box 268, HR-10000 Zagreb,Croatia.AbstractA new species of the dasyclad genus S a l p i n g o p o r e l l a , S. dona -t a e, is characterized by wavy primary ramifications, which makes iteasily distinguishable from other species of the genus. It derives fromplaty algal pelletal packstones and grainstones from the Lower Conia-cian to Campanian deposits of the environs of Primo¹ten, Dalmatia.Uragiella matzi SOKAÈ & VELIÆ has already been described fromthe same deposits.200 Geologia Croatica 53/1material (Pl. II, Figs. 3-4) as a result of distally funnel-shaped (widened) branches and the destruction of theouter surface. The inner cavity occupies, on average,25-30% of the outer thallus diameter. Simple primarybranches are arranged in clearly defined and compara-tively densely packed whorls. There are 14-18 branchesper whorl, usually slightly inclined upwards (Pl. I, Figs.2-3 and 8), though, in some specimens, branches maybe inclined both upwards and downwards (Pl. I, Fig. 4).The most characteristic feature of the primary branchesis their single or multiple bending resulting in theirwavy shape (Pl. I, Figs. 2-3; Pl. III, Fig. 12), or theirchanging diameter - slight swellings and narrowings -resulting in their humpy shape (Pl. II, Fig. 5; Pl. III,Figs. 10 and 13). In some specimens, the branches arein their proximal parts inclined downwards, whereasdistally they are directed upwards, which gives them aknee-bend shape (Pl. III, Fig. 11). Some specimensshow a slight swelling in the proximal part of branches,near to the wall of the axial cavity, which results in anelliptical or bladder-shaped widening, as shown in thesections illustrated in Pl. III, Figs. 2, 4 and 11. In con-secutive whorls, the branches are arranged in an alter-nating position, though such an arrangement in deepertangential sections becomes less clear, due to densepacking, and appears irregular, so that only in shallowtangential (cortical) sections does the alternate arrange-ment becomes clear (Pl. I, Figs. 2, 4 and 6; Pl. III, Figs.1 and 6). At their distal ends, the branches are funnel-shaped (phloiophorous branches) and often more or lessvertically compressed, i.e. elongated along a plane per-pendicular to the growth direction of the thallus. There-fore, in vertical sections the pores appear circular (Pl. I,Figs. 1-2 and 6; Pl. II, Figs. 5-7), or, if depressed, ellip-tical in outline (Pl. III, Figs. 1 and 6-7).Similarities and differences: S a l p i n g o p o r e l l ad o n a t a e n. sp. belongs to that group of the S a l p i n g o -porella-species which is characterised by a narrow cen-tral cavity and more or less circular pores in tangentialsections of their distal ends. S. adriatica (GU©IÆ) alsohas a narrow central cavity and clearly phloiophorousbranches (DE CASTRO & DE ROSA, 1977) but S .d o n a t a e is smaller and has more slender, more irregu-Holotype Most frequent %Maximum observed length of thallus L 10.70 5.00 _Outer diameter D   0.74-1.52 0.96 0.90-1.10     (60%)Inner diameter d    0.17-0.34 0.22 0.20-0.30    (91%)d/D ratio 0.161-0.304 0.228 0.250-0.300 (56%)Distance between whorls h    0.09-0.20 0.095 0.09-0.20      (72%)Maximum diameter of branches p   0.06-0.14  0.08 0.08-0.10     (68%)Length of branches l     0.21-0.51  0.46 0.35-0.45     (56%)Number of branches per whorl w   14-18Table 1  Dimensions of Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. (in mm).  Measurements were made on 30 specimens.Fig. 1  The type locality of Salpingoporella donatae n.sp.eated, and perforated by entrance pores of the branches.The outer surface, originally probably smooth or evenslightly bulging, becomes finely indented in fossillarly shaped and frequently upwards directed branches.S. pygmaea (GMBEL) PIA has about the samedimensions, but its branches gradually and uniformlywiden from their proximal to their distal ends, whereasin S. donatae n.sp. the branches are wavy, more irregu-larly shaped, and funnel-shaped only at their distalends. With regard to two small-sized species, S. istriana(GU©IÆ) and S. johnsoni (DRAGASTAN), S. donataen. sp. differs in having different values of individualparameters and differently shaped branches and inbeing somewhat larger (this being particularly clearwith regard to S. johnsoni). Similar differences alsoexist with regard to the equally small-sized S. verticilla -t a (SOKAÈ & NIKLER), in which, however, the cen-tral cavity is somewhat wider and with an uneven walland the branches are more steeply directed upwards andonly distally inclined downwards. With regard to S .t u r g i d a (RADOIÈIÆ), the new species is considerablysmaller, has a narrower central cavity and, consequent-ly, a different d/D ratio. The Lower Cretaceous S .p i r i n i a e KARAS & RADOIÈIÆ, though being some-what smaller, is visually similar but has differentlyshaped branches. The two species with a similar strati-graphic position, S. milovanovici RADOIÈIÆ and S .p o l s a k i SOKAÈ & JELASKA are, in general, smallerand have differently shaped branches giving differentlyshaped pores in tangential sections. A more detailedcomparison, however, with the contemporaneous S .ubaiydhi RADOIÈIÆ is needed. The latter is, indeed, 2-3 times smaller but has similar values of individualparameters (with a slightly larger d/D ratio). The mostimportant difference between the two species concernsthe shape of the branches, which, in S. ubaiydhi, have ashort stalk and then widen uniformly or, sometimes,acquire a bellows-like shape (RADOIÈIÆ, 1979, pl. I,figs. 3-4; pl. II, figs. 1, 3), and are situated more or lessperpendicular to the growth axis. Moreover, in S. ubaiy -dhi the branches in consecutive whorls are not arrangedin an alternating position, which is clearly visible inouter tangential sections in S. donatae , particularly inspecimens with elliptically elongated pores. Anotherstratigraphically similar species, S. arumaensis O K L A ,is considerably larger, has short, funnel-shaped and per-pendicularly arranged branches - as distinct from thelonger, slimmer, and irregular branches in S. donatae -and has a much broader central cavity which may occu-py up to 50% of the outer diameter. Other S a l p i n g o -p o r e l l a -species may also show similar values of someparameters (see SOKAÈ, 1996), but the main character-istic feature of S. donatae n. sp. - wavy, irregular,and/or bent branches - makes it clearly distinguishablefrom all other Salpingoporella -species.Stratigraphic position: Salpingoporella donataen. sp. was first observed, in a smaller number of sec-tions, in the same sample which yielded the earlierdescribed Uragiella matzi SOKAÈ & VELIÆ, for whi-ch the stratigraphic position was stated as Upper Turon-i an -Lower Coniacian. In the samples from the investi-gated locality no significant fossils have been found,and consequently their stratigraphic position is based onsuperposition. Repeated collecting at the same outcropyielded numerous sections of S. donatae ( w h i c henabled the above description), accompanied also bynot so abundant sections of S. ubaiydhi. This allows fora possibly broader stratigraphic range than previouslyconsidered. In the original description of S. ubaiydhi,RADOIÈIÆ (1979) reports its finding from the bottomof the well, from an interval for which a Campanian,possibly Uppermost Santonian, age has been ascribed.In the text of the more detailed description of the wellstratigraphy, for the lower part KH-1/7 it is said that itis represented by sediments of partly Santonian? andalso possibly Coniacian age, lying at the top of the for-mation that may be of Upper Turonian and Coniacianage. OKLA (1995), in the description of S. arumaensis ,also gives some illustrations of S. ubaiydhi ( O K L A ,1995, figs. 3/7-3/9), among which there is one section(OKLA, 1995, fig. 3/8) which possibly belongs to S .d o n a t a e . It should be mentioned, admittedly, that thesection in question is not completely clear, but it never-theless shows some obvious differences with regard tothe remaining two sections labelled S. ubaiydhi. Theoccurrence of S. ubaiydhi associated with S. donataeand Uragiella matzi at the Primo¹ten locality and thejoint occurrence of S. ubaiydhi, S. arumaensis and pos-sibly S. donatae at the top of the Hajajok Member (partof the Azuma Formation, central Saudi Arabia), towhich the range Campanian -Maastrichtian is ascribed,suggests a broader range of their occurrence, covering aConiacian - Lower Maastrichtian time span.AcknowledgementsI am grateful to my colleagues Pavao MAMU®IÆand Bo¹ko KOROLIJA, who placed their samples atmy disposal and thus initiated further research of thePrimo¹ten algal assemblage. I am also grateful to myco-worker of longstanding and co-author of the firstpaper on those algae, Ivo VELIÆ, who later collectedmore samples and thus enabled the present study. Final-ly, I am grateful to the reviewers, Ivan GU©IÆ, FelixSCHLAGINTWEIT and Jean-Pierre MASSE, whogave useful suggestions that improved the presentpaper. 3. REFERENCESBASSOULLET, J.P., BERNIER, P., CONRAD, M.A.,DELOFFRE, R. & JAFFREZO, M. (1978): LesAlgues Dasycladaces du Jurassique et du Crtac.-Gobios, Mm. spc., 2, 1-330, Villeurbanne.DE CASTRO, P. & DE ROSA, C. (1977): Osservazionisu Salpingoporella adriatica (GU©IÆ, 1966).- Boll.Soc. Natur. Napoli, 86 (1977), 39 p., Napoli.201Sokaè: Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. (Dasycladales) from Upper Cretaceous...202 Geologia Croatica 53/1DRAGASTAN, O. (1971): New algae in the Jurassicand Lower Cretaceous in the Bicaz Valley (EastCarpathians) Romania.- Rev. espan. Micropal., 3,155-192.GU©IÆ, I. (1966): Two new Dasyclad species of thesubgenus P i a n e l l a from Lower Cretaceous of Ist-ria.- Geol. vjesnik, 19, 35-46.KARAS, N. & RADOIÈIÆ, R. (1991): Salpingoporellap i r i n i a e n. sp. iz barema karbonatne platforme Par-nasa (kontinentalna Grèka).- Geol. an. Balk. polu-ost., 55/1, 163-173, Beograd.OKLA, M.S. (1995): Late Cretaceous Dasycladalesfrom the Aruma Formation in central Saudi Arabia.-N. Jb. Geol. Palont. Mh., 1995, H. 8, 475-487,Stuttgart. RADOIÈIÆ, R. (1965): Pianella turgida n.sp. from theCenomanian of the Outer Dinarids.- Geol. vjesnik,18, 195-199, Zagreb.RADOIÈIÆ, R. (1978): Salpingoporella milovanovicin.sp. a new Dasyclad from the Cenomanian strata ofthe Dinarides and a note on the Foraminifer N u m -moloculina sp. (aff. regularis PHILIPPSON).- Geol.an. Balk. poluost., 42, 375-381, Beograd.RADOIÈIÆ, R. (1979): Salpingoporella ubaiydhi , anew Senonian Dasyclad and some data about sub-surface biostratigraphy of the western Iraqi desert.-Bulletin Acad. Serbe Sci. Arts, Classe Sci. math-mat. natur., 68/19, 97-105, Beograd.SOKAÈ, B. (1996): Taxonomic review of some Barre-mian and Aptian calcareous algae (Dasycladales)from the Dinaric and Adriatic karst regions of Croa-tia.- Geol. Croatica, 49/1, 1-79, Zagreb.SOKAÈ, B. & JELASKA, V. (1991): S a l p i n g o p o r e l l ap o l s a k i n. sp. (Calcareous Algae, Dasycladaceae)from the Cenomanian deposits of the Island of Br-aè.- Geol. vjesnik, 44, 1-7, Zagreb.SOKAÈ, B. & NIKLER, L. (1973): Calcareous algaefrom the Lower Cretaceous of the environs of Nik-¹iæ, Crna Gora (Montenegro).- Palaeont. jugoslav.,13, 57 p., Zagreb.SOKAÈ, B. & VELIÆ, I. (1983): Uragiella matzi n.sp.(Dasycladaceae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Pri-mo¹ten.- Geol. vjesnik, 36, 91-94.Manuscript received November 29, 1999.Revised manuscript accepted May 19, 2000.PLATE I1-9  Salpingoporella donatae n.sp.1 Oblique-tangential section, slide PR-79-1/70, x17.2 Tangential-oblique section, Holotype, slide PR-79-1/37, x22.3 Oblique section, slide PR-79-1/27, x22.4 Oblique section, slide PR-79-1/36, x22.5 Tangential-longitudinal -section, slide PR-79-1/24, x22.6 Oblique section, slide PR-79-1/34, x22.7 Cross section, slide PR-79-1/33, x22.8 Oblique section, slide PR-79-1/40, x14.9 Tangential-slightly oblique section, slide PR-79-1/30, x22.Age and location:Lower Coniacian - Campanian, Primo¹ten (Dalmatia, Croatia).203Sokaè PLATE I204 Geologia Croatica 53/1PLATE II1-10  Salpingoporella donatae n.sp.1 Oblique and cross sections, slide PR-79-1, x17.2 Oblique sections, slide PR-79-1/62, x22.3 Oblique sections, slide PR-79-1/48, x22.4 Tangential-oblique section, slide PR-79-1/20, x17.5-7 Oblique sections, Fig. 5, slide PR-79-1/40; Fig. 6, slide PR-79-1/71; Fig. 7, slide PR-79-1/14, x22.8-10 Cross sections, Fig. 8, slide PR-79-1/45; Fig. 9, slide PR-79-1/41; Fig. 10, slide PR-79-1/29, x22.Age and location:Lower Coniacian - Campanian, Primo¹ten (Dalmatia, Croatia).205Sokaè PLATE II206 Geologia Croatica 53/1PLATE III1-16  Salpingoporella donatae n.sp.1-12 Oblique sections, Fig. 1, slide PR-79-1/69, x22; Fig. 2, slide PR-79-1/31, x17; Fig. 3, slide PR-79-1/14, x22;Fig. 4, slide PR-79-1/67, x22; Fig. 5, slide PR-79-1/39, x22; Fig. 6, slide PR-79-1/67, x22; Fig. 7, slide PR-79-1/49, x22; Fig. 8, slide PR-79-1/35, x22; Fig. 9, slide PR-79-1/18, x22; Fig. 10, slide PR-79-1/21, x22;Fig. 11, slide PR-79-1/21, x22; Fig. 12, slide PR-79-1/34, x22.13-14 Cross, slightly oblique sections, Fig. 13, slide PR-79-1/11, x22; Fig. 14, slide PR-79-1/27, x22.15-16 Cross sections, Fig. 15, slide PR-79-1/55, x22; Fig. 16, slide PR-79-1/17, x22.Age and location:Lower Coniacian - Campanian, Primo¹ten (Dalmatia, Croatia).207Sokaè PLATE III208 Geologia Croatica 53/1

Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. (Dasycladales) from Upper Cretaceous Limestone of the Environs of Primosten (Dalmatia, Croatia)

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