The taxonomy of middle Miocene red algae from the Gârbova de Sus Formation (Transylvanian Basin, Romania)

Abstract

© 2016, Carnets de Geologie. All rights reserved. This study describes seventeen non-geniculate coralline algal species (orders Corallinales, Hapalidiales and Sporolithales) from the middle Miocene (lower-middle Badenian) red-algal limestones of the Transylvanian Basin, Gârbova de Sus Formation. For the description and identification at species level, we follow the common diagnostic features used for fossil species and some characters that are used as diagnostic for modern species (roof morphology for asexual conceptacles, the presence/absence of a layer of elongated cells below sporangial compartments and number of cells in paraphyses for Sporolithon, and measurements of gametangial and carposporangial conceptacles). Female conceptacles of Spongites fruticulosus KÜTZING are for the first time described in fossil material. We propose the attribution of Lithophyllum platticarpum MASLOV to Spongites fruticulosus KÜTZING as a gametangial thallus with male conceptacles.