A new polyphysacean alga from the Miocene of Romania and its biomineralization Author Barattolo, Filippo Author Ionesi, Viorel Author Ţibuleac, Paul text Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 2019 2019-01-18 64 1 85 100 http://dx.doi.org/10.4202/app.00537.2018 journal article 294459 10.4202/app.00537.2018 b4491de9-5ac0-44fa-baec-cf440d7d17fd 1732-2421 10626616 Genus Patruliuspora nov. Etymology : In honour of Dan Patrulius (1921–1982), pioneer of dasycladalean studies in Romania . Type species : Chalmasia morelleti Pokorný, 1948 ; middle Miocene , Podivin , Czech Republic . Species included : Halicoryne carpatica Mišík, 1987 , Upper Triassic Carnian–Rhaetian) of the Western Carpathians; Acicularia valeti Segonzac, 1970 ( Segonzac 1970 , 1976 ) from the Paleocene of the French Pyrenees. It is possible that other species referred to the genus Acicularia but displaying Type D biomineralization ( Fig. 11 ) could belong to Patruliuspora . Diagnosis . — Group of mineralized gametangia (cysts), immersed or not in a calcified mass to form ellipsoidal, irregular to variously elongated club shaped aggregates of cysts. Remarks.— Patruliuspora is restricted to fossil taxa falling in types C and D of Fig. 11 . As discussed above, they may be the fossil remains of polyphysacean gametophores, presently belonging to Chalmasia , Halicoryne , or Acetabularia . In any case, we cannot exclude the possibility that in the past Parvocaulis or other extinct genera of Polyphysaceae , if not Triploporellaceae , might have produced equivalent mineralized aggregates of cysts. Numerous genera are known to be mineralized parts of reproductive organs of dasycladaleans. Some of these are thought to be by-products of extracellular biomineralization of single gametophores (ampullae), Dameryella Bignot and Génot, 1998 ( Génot 2009 ), or tufts of gametophores Carpenterella Morellet and Morellet, 1922 ( Génot 2009 ). Small bodies formed by intracellular biomineralization include Acicularia Archiac, 1843 , Terquemella Morellet and Morellet, 1922 , Frederica Barta-Calmus, 1966 and Russoella Barattolo, 1983 . From a morphological point of view, Terquemella and Russoella are discoidal and not ellipsoidal, and Acicularia and Frederica are elongate club-shaped and ovoidal, respectively ( Génot 2009 ). However, all those genera show biomineralization of type B ( Fig. 11 ), rather than type C or D as in Patruliuspora . Fig. 9. Reconstruction of polyphysacean alga Acetabularia moldavica sp. nov. A . Mineralized fertile cap in axial section. B . Soft parts (green) and calcareous skeleton (black and dark gray) in axial view. C . Fertile cap in upper view. Fig. 10. Scheme of gametangium and mineralization of Acetabularia moldavica sp. nov. (A) and extant polyphysaceans (B). A . Gametangium in axial section (A 1 ), stratified wall (gray), and mineralization (sector); detail of the cyst wall with acicular crystals of aragonite (A 2 ). B . Extant polyphysaceans (B 1 ), cyst wall and detached lid (gray), intergametangial space (wavy lines), not to scale. Acetabularia schenckii (B 2 ), arrangement of aragonite crystals (data from Bailey et al. 1976 ). Chalmasia antillana from Florida Bay (1, Blackwater Sound; 2, Rodrigues Key) (B 3 ), arrangement of aragonite crystals (data from Bailey et al. 1976 ; Marszalek 1975 ). Stratigraphic and geographic range.— Species of Patruliuspora ranges from Late Triassic to Miocene and includes at least three species: Patruliuspora morelleti ( Pokorný, 1948 ) comb. nov. , P. carpatica ( Mišík, 1987 ) comb. nov. , and P. valeti ( Segonzac, 1970 ) comb. nov. The Jurassic–Cretaceous gap can be interpreted in different ways, for example: (i) because the taxon is a form-genus, it may assemble fossils from different contexts, but with similar morphologies (e.g., cladosporous, choristosporous, or goniosporous type of reproduction); (ii) the ellipsoidal aggregates may display different type of mineralization (e.g., type B and C of Fig. 11 ). Viewed in this light, Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous ellipsoidal aggregates such as Acicularia elongata Carozzi, 1955 , and Acicularia endoi Praturlon, 1964 could be accommodated within the genus Patruliuspora .