NEW GENERA AND SPECIES 



11 



in a storage bottle and covered with pure 

 diaphanc solvent. The cap of the storage 

 bottle should be sealed with paraffin to 

 prevent evaporation and ultimate drying 

 up of the residue. 



Rotary well cuttings of coal beds have 

 provided a valuable source of samples for 

 this investigation. Such coal samples also 

 contain greater or less amounts of other 

 strata from which the coal must be freed. 

 The coal contained in rotary samples is first 

 separated from non-coal material by wash- 

 ing the cuttings with warm water to remove 

 drilling mud and other soft clayey material. 

 The sample is then dried and the coal 

 separated out as the float in CC1 4 with a 

 specific gravity of 1.58. The CC1 4 is re- 

 moved by air drying, and the coal is ready 

 for the oxidation phase of the maceration 

 process. 



DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW GENERA 

 AND SPECIES 



Introduction 



Nineteen genera of small spores, of which 

 five are new, have been isolated from Illi- 

 nois coal beds: Cadiospora, lllinites, Schul- 

 zospora, Schopfites, and Wilsonia. Cadio- 

 spora, lllinites, and Schulzospora are known 

 only from Illinois; Schopfites from Illinois 

 and Ohio ; and Wilsonia from Illinois, Iowa, 

 and Ohio. Several specimens which possess 

 undescribed features and which may repre- 

 sent new genera, are not described because 

 they are rare and hence of little value for 

 correlative purposes. Critical examination 

 of a sufficient number of forms to prepare 

 complete description has not been possible. 



The small-spore genera described prior 

 to this report have been modified slightly by 

 the many new species described. The new 

 species which have been assigned to these 

 genera have increased the generic size 

 ranges, and additional minor morphologic 

 features are recorded for some genera. This 

 information is considered important in 

 delineating the genera, but a revision of the 

 genera has not been attempted. 



Some 130 species have been identified 

 from Illinois coal beds, of which 100 are 



Fig. 2. — Diagrammatic drawing of various types 

 of spore coat ornamentation: 



A. Levigate 



B. Granulose 



C. Papillate 



D. Punctate 



E. Punctate-Reticulate 



F. Reticulate 



G. Vermiculate 



H. Obervermiculate 



I. Verrucose 



J. Rugose 



K. Lobate 



L. Striate 



M. Spinose 



N. Setaceous 



O. Processes-Projections 



new species. Additional new but rare and 

 undescribed species are known, as has been 

 noted. The species of spores described pro- 

 vide a working basis for the correlation of 

 Illinois coal beds. New species have been 

 constructed only when specimens were iso- 

 lated in sufficient number for adequate 

 description. 



What constitutes a species is an ever 

 present problem in paleontology, and 

 perhaps even more so in micropaleobotany. 

 The following characters have been of ut- 

 most importance in the construction of new 

 species: shape, ornamentation, haptotypic 

 structures, spore coat, and size. The 

 various types of spore coat ornamentation 

 are diagramatically illustrated in figure 2. 

 The morphologic features of a radially 

 symmetrical and bilateral spore are illus- 

 trated in figures 3 and 4. Table 1 records 

 the generic characteristics for all of the 



