LOWER CARBONIFEROUS BRYOZOA 
1988 Tabulipora urii (Fleming); Yang, Hu & Xia: 69, pl. 22, 
figs 5-8. 
MATERIAL. BM(NH) PD9472, 9638-9642, 9704; TCD.34079, 
42593b, 42604b, Upper part of the Glencar Limestone (Viséan, 
Asbian), Carrick Lough, County Fermanagh; BELUM K15200- 
15208, Upper part of the Glencar Limestone (Viséan, Asbian), 
Sillees River, County Fermanagh. 
DESCRIPTION. Zoaria are erect, ramose expansions of bifurcating 
cylindrical branches reaching 8.20mm in diameter. 
Autozooecial chambers are budded interzooecially from the branch 
centres. Chambers diverge from the centre of branches at a low but 
constant angle of 30° in the endozone. They bend abruptly at the 
exozone; vestibules are orientated at angles of between 70° and 80° 
to the zoarial surface. Autozooecial chambers are ten to twelve times 
longer than wide. Chamber walls are very thin (0.01mm) in the 
endozone, but thicken considerably (to 0.05mm) in the exozone, 
where in some specimens as many as five monilae may occur. They 
are pear to oval-shaped thickenings of the chamber wall, and may be 
separated by lengths of thin chamber wall. Skeletal laminae within 
the wall are deflected away from the zoarial surface from a central 
dark zone at autozooecial boundaries. In cross section and deep 
tangential section chambers are polygonal in shape. Ring septa are 
developed in autozooecial chambers towards the top of the endozone 
and throughout the exozone. A solitary or pair of thin, widely spaced 
endozonal ring septa contrast with up to seven thicker and more 
closely spaced ring septae developed in the exozone. Foramen are 
circular or oval in shape and are placed either centrally or slightly 
laterally. The central walls of ring septa constitute a thickened ring 
that is bent posteriorly. Autozooecial apertures are large, circular to 
oval in shape, and closely spaced at less than one diameter apart. 
They are irregularly arranged over the zoarial surface. They are 
: 
; 
3 
: Pod. 
J 
‘s 
ig.71 Line drawing of external features of the Tabulipora species 
described in this study. a, Tabulipora urii (Fleming, 1828) (BELUM 
K15200); b, Tabulipora howsii (Nicholson, 1881) (BMNH PD9644); ¢, 
| Tabulipora minima Lee, 1912 (BMNH PD9650); scale bar = 0.1 mm. 
| 
| 
| 
| 
151 
poorly developed on monticules where they are marginally larger. 
The long axes of oval shaped apertures radiate out from monticules 
and maculae. Interapertural walls are thin. Exilazooecia are very 
common, and are disposed in one or two rows between autozooecial 
apertures, or in radiating maculate clusters of up to forty individuals. 
They are small, thin walled, and circular to polygonal in shape. 
Stylets are common and structurally variable, and developed on 
the thin interapertural walls. Large acanthostyles, 0.04mm in diam- 
eter, are found at interapertural junctions. These have a distinctive 
dark grey core developed from the base of the exozone. Smaller 
heterostyles (0.01—0.02mm in diameter) are found in one or two 
rows between acanthostyles. They arise from within the exozone. 
Table 24 Measurements of Tabulipora urii (in mm), N=8. 
NM X Mn Mx CVw CVb 
ZD 69 59) 3.79 8.20 3.84 5.34 
ZI 80 10 7 14 IHES9 10.48 
Z2 80 5.85 4 a 10.73 10.48 
AD 80 0.19 0.11 0.29 15.55 9.71 
IWT 80 0.11 0.06 0.17 18.08 13.33 
ED 80 0.07 0.05 0.14 22.98 6.95 
ET 17 LST 0.70 2.76 5.99 2M 
TE 33 0.97 0.47 1.98 Sl PAU 
IMS 8 4.72 4.10 5.94 17.47 11.32 
DISCUSSION. Tabulipora urii was first described and figured by 
Ure (1793) as Millepore from the Carboniferous of Kilbride, West 
Scotland. Subsequently, Fleming (1828) cited Ure’s material as the 
type species of his species Cellepora urii. This species was later 
described by Young (1883a) who noted ring septa in the autozooecial 
chambers and on the strength of this erected the subgenus Tabulipora. 
Cellepora urii is the type species of Tabulipora by monotypy. 
Lee (1912) revised the British Trepostomata. He examined 
Young’s material and erected a new species, Tabulipora scotica, 
designating it as the type species of Tabulipora. He demoted T. urii 
(misspelt ‘urei’) because he felt that Young had not really proposed 
it as a new specific name, and because his material contained 
several species, none of which had been figured. Gautier (1970) 
stated that 7. urii is the type species by monotypy, and thus T. 
scotica is invalid. T. scotica is regarded as a junior synonym of T. 
urit (Bancroft 1984: 372). 
The figured specimens of T. scotica described from Egypt (Kora 
& Jux, 1986) have been examined. Up to nine hemiphragmas are 
developed in chambers indicating that the specimens are referable to 
the genus Stenophragmidium. 
STRATIGRAPHICAL RANGE. 
Brigantian). 
Lower Carboniferous (Tournaisian— 
DISTRIBUTION. 
?China. 
County Fermanagh, Midland Valley of Scotland, 
Tabulipora howsii (Nicholson, 1881) 
v1881 
v1883 
Figs 71b, 72-78 
Stenopora howsii Nicholson: 83, fig. 12. 
Stenopora howsii Nicholson; Nicholson: 285, pl. 10, figs 
1-10, text-figs la—c. 
1886  Stenopora howsii Nicholson; Nicholson & Etheridge jun.: 
ae 
Stenopora howsii Nicholson; Nicholson & Lydekker: 356, 
sia, 2B Vd: 
1891 Stenopora howsii Nicholson; Etheridge jun.: 48. 
1912 Tabulipora howsei |sic] (Nicholson); Lee: 166, pl. 14, figs 
9a—c; pl.15, figs 22-24. 
v1889 
