Rhodolith-forming coralline red algae in the CaCO biofactory - A case study from the Serravallian of tropical northeastern Indian Ocean Author Dey, Rikee Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow — 226 007, Uttar Pradesh (India) & Department of Applied Geology, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad — 826 004, Jharkhand (India) Author Basso, Daniela University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Piazza della Scienza 4, I- 20126, Milano (Italy) Author Chakraborty, Arindam Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow — 226 007, Uttar Pradesh (India) & Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) Author Roy, Lopamudra Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow — 226 007, Uttar Pradesh (India) & Centre of Advanced Study in Geology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow — 226007, Uttar Pradesh (India) Author Bhaumik, Ajoy Kumar Department of Applied Geology, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad — 826 004, Jharkhand (India) Author Ghosh, Amit K. Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow — 226 007, Uttar Pradesh (India) Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow - 226 007, Uttar Pradesh (India) akghosh_in@yahoo.com & amitk_ghosh@bsip.res.in text Comptes Rendus Palevol 2023 2023-08-18 22 26 541 567 http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/cr-palevol2023v22a26 journal article 305698 10.5852/cr-palevol2023v22a26 bec95f48-cce1-4336-a1c7-0e62b540fc5c 1777-571X 14224623 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6658E8E5-8430-4436-97B2-5D81756BEFF0 Sporolithon praeerythraeum (Airoldi) Vannucci, Piazza, Fravega & Basso, 2000 ( Fig. 5E, F ) Archaeolithothamnium praeerithraeum Airoldi, 1932: 63 , pl. 9, fig. 2. Sporolithon praeerythraeum (Airoldi) Vannucci, Piazza, Fravega & Basso, 2000: 193 . DESCRIPTION Lumpy to protuberant thallus, VC filaments indiscernible. The peripheral filaments (PF) show horizontal layers of elliptical cells. Cell fusions are present in the PF, the cells of PF measure 14 to 26 µm in length and 10 to 12 µm in diameter. Sporangia grouped in sori, individual sporangia measuring 30 to 36 µm in diameter and 59 to 68 µm in height ( Table 1 ). REMARKS Vannucci et al. (2000) revised and re-documented this species of Sporolithon and transferred Airoldi’s (1932) Archaeolithothamnium praeerythraeum under the genus Sporolithon with a new combination. The species has been identified from the late Eocene to early Oligocene of Italy and Bulgaria ( Francavilla et al. 1970 ; Bakalova 1983 ). The overall thallus organization, shape and size of the sporangia and the arrangement of the sporangia are closely comparable to the middle Miocene specimens recorded by Vannucci et al. (2000) and Chelaru & Bucur (2016) .