Pliensbachian corals from the Western Tethys Author Vasseur, Raphaël Université de Lorraine, CNRS, lab. GeoRessources, UMR 7359, BP 70239, F- 54506 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy cedex (France) raphaelvasseur@wanadoo.fr Author Lathuilière, Bernard Université de Lorraine, CNRS, lab. GeoRessources, UMR 7359, BP 70239, F- 54506 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy cedex (France) bernard.lathuiliere@univ-lorraine.fr text Geodiversitas 2021 2021-11-23 43 22 1187 1291 journal article 10.5252/geodiversitas2021v43a22 1638-9395 5764379 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6D1643AD-66A5-4678-9397-CE08E610D641 Genus Spongiocoenia n. gen. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 41CED0DF-4 AD 3-4F29-BBFA-55A99C480CA3 TYPE SPECIES. — Coccophyllum liasicum Turnšek & Geyer in Turnšek, Seyfried & Geyer, 1975 . DIAGNOSIS. — Colonial massive or ramose colony with calices separated by a porous coenosteum. Spine-like, smooth septa. Columella and endotheca absent. Synapticulothecal wall. Extracalicular budding. ETYMOLOGY. — Refers to the spongious nature of the coenosteum. Turnšek & Geyer (inTurnšek et al . 1975) placed their species within the genus Coccophyllum Reuss, 1865 , family Stylophyllidae Frech 1890 (in fact they attribute erroneously the family to Volz 1896 ). Coccophyllum is a cerioid genus and we cannot place the present genus within the family Stylophyllidae with the capacity to produce such a spongious coenosteum, which recalls more non-scleractinian corals like Plagiosolenacis Alloiteau, 1957 and Paleomillepora Gabilly & Lafuste, 1957 . Turnšek et al. (1975) noticed the proximity with Helioporid octocorallians.