A new Mississippian dasyclad alga (Chlorophyta) from SW Spain: Implications for the reproductive evolution of the dasyclads during the Late Palaeozoic

Abstract

Analysis of the microflora from the Mississippian deposits of southwest Spain has revealed the presence of a new species: Palaepimastoporella espielensis new gen. new sp. It is assigned to the family Seletonellaceae comprising of primitive (i.e., aspondyl) dasyclads. Palaepimastoporella is one of the earliest representative of the epimastoporid-lineage, an important group of cladospore algae, widespread during the Pennsylvanian and Cisuralian (= Early Permian). Following the erection of Palaepimastoporella, the genera Epimastopora Pia and Epimastoporella Roux are briefly revised. The epimastoporid-lineage is regrouped in the subtribe Epimastoporellinae n. subtrib., separated here from the true Gyroporelleae (aspondyl, cylindrical, exclusively vesicular dasyclads). This lineage is also compared to some euspondyl vesicular cladospore Cyclocrinaceae: Cyclocrineae and Mastoporeae.