12 



F. BARATTOLO AND R. ROMANO 



In 1 9 1 3, Leon & Jean Morellet added greatly to our knowledge of 

 Tertiary fossil species of Neomeris and related forms. Their work 

 was based on a rich microflora collected by Munier-Chalmas from 

 the Paris Basin at the end of the 1 9"' century. In addition to document- 

 ing new fossil material, they established several neomerid genera 

 (e.g. Lanaria, Vagiuopora, Meminella) that were later considered as 

 junior synonymous of Neomeris (Genot 1980). Deloffre & Genot 

 ( 1982) gave the following description of Neomeris: "Two orders of 

 branches. Each primary branch bears one fertile ampulla and two 

 (sometimes three in living Neomeris) secondary branches. These are 

 set on both sides of the fertile ampulla {Neomeris s.s. ) or set in a plane 

 located beneath the plane containing fertile ampullae (sub-genus 

 Lan-ariaY. 



Later, Radoicic (1984) established the new subgenus Drimella, 

 based on a Late Cretaceous species from Serbia, and gave the 

 following diagnosis: 'Neomeris with secondary branches laterally 

 located on one side of the fertile ampulla, on vertical or more or less 

 oblique plane. In adjacent verticils, secondary branches can be 

 arranged: in one on the same, and in another on the opposite side of 

 the fertile ampulla, or in each verticil on the same side'. 



The subdivision into three subgenera (Neomeris. Larvaria, 

 Drimella) was confirmed by Genot (1987). Their structural organi- 

 sation is illustrated in Fig. 1. 



Phylum Chlorophyta Pascher, 1914 

 Class Chlorophyceae Kiitzing, 1 843 



Order Dasycladales Pascher, 1931 



Family Dasycladaceae Kiitzing, 1843 



Tribe Neomereae Pia, 1920; emend. Bassoullet ei at.. 1979 



Genus Neomeris Lamouroux, 1816; emend. Deloffre, 1970 



Neomeris assurbanipali Elliott, nov. comb. 



1968 Acroporella assurbanipali EUioU: 18, pi. l,fig. 5. 



HOLOTYPE. V.52032 ( 1 ), slide. 



Horizon and locality. Lower Cretaceous, Valanginian/ 

 Hauterivian. Garagu Formation. Well no.l 16, Kirkuk, Iraq. 



Referred material. G. F. Elliott Colin., presented 1 966. 



Description. The character of the species can be deduced from 

 the single specimen in oblique section (pi. 1 fig. 2). Assessment of 



Table 1 Main biometrical parameters of Neomeris assurbanipali Elliott 

 nov. comb. All size parameters are given in mm. d: inner diameter of the 

 calcareous skeleton; D: outer diameter of the calcareous skeleton; e: 

 thickness of the calcareous wall;pv: vertical width of primary laterals; 

 pvd: vertical width of primary laterals at their distal end: /.• length of 

 primary laterals; w: number of primary laterals per whorl; h: distance 

 between two subsequent whorls;/)': width of secondary laterals; /': 

 length of secondary pores; da: diameter of the ampulla. 



This paper 



FromEllion, 1968 



d 

 D 

 e 



pv 



pvd 



I 



w 



h 



P' 

 f 



da 



0.16 



0.55 



1.4 



0.43 



■0.20 



0.25 



0.55 

 1.36 



0.182 

 0.156 

 0.78 

 12 



0.23-0.25 

 0.010-0.012 

 0.20 

 0.11 



Fig. 2 Neomeris (Larx'aria) assurbanipali Elliott nov. comb. Longitudinal 

 reconstruction of the thallus. Left side: central siphon, primary laterals, 

 secondary laterals, ampullae and calcification (in black) in axial section. 

 Right side: perspective view of the primary laterals, secondary laterals, 

 ampullae and central siphon deprived of calcification. On the left frontal 

 part only the junction of the laterals and the ampullae are drawn. At the 

 base is a perspective view of the cortex built from the secondary laterals 

 drawn in hexagonal meshes ( x 45). 



