GENUS ALATI-SPORITES 



23 



thin and measures less than 1 micron thick. 



Holotype.— Maceration 486-A Slide 4, 

 Friendsville Coal, Wabash County, Illinois. 



Discussion. — In many respects it greatly 

 resembles the body of Reinschospora magni- 

 fied sp. nov. without the flange although it 

 is somewhat smaller in size. However, no 

 specimens or even fragments of specimens 

 were found of Reinschospora. 



GENUS Alati-sporites (Ibrahim, 1933) 



emend., S. W. and B., 1944 



Plate 4, figures 1-5 



The genotype A. pustulatus (Sporonites 

 pustulatus, Ibrahim 1932) Ibrahim 1933, is 

 to date the only described species of the 

 genus according to Schopf, Wilson, and 

 Bentall (1944) since they considered type 

 D 5 of Raistrick (1934-1935 and 1937) 

 conspecific with A. pustulatus. It is diffi- 

 cult to prove this point because the genotype 

 spore coat is reticulate and Raistrick's illus- 

 trations are not clear in this respect. Rais- 

 trick's D 5 is probably a separate and dis- 

 tinct species but only through examination 

 of photomicrographs or the type material 

 can this be determined. The following are 

 new species from Illinois coal beds: 



1. A. hexalatus 



2. A. in flatus 



3. A. punctatus 



4. A. triangularus 



5. A. varius 



The following is a description of the 

 genus: Spores are radial, trilete, spore body 

 subtriangular in outline, and the interradial 

 area generally concave, although A. in flatus 

 sp. nov. is sometimes slightly convex and 

 the corners round to bluntly pointed. The 

 bladders (wings) number three or six with 

 one or two bladders to each interradial area. 

 The bladders are extremely variable in 

 appearance because they are frequently 

 folded and sometimes this folding can cause 

 a form with three bladders to appear to 

 possess four, five, or six bladders. The 

 known size range— the overall measurement 

 in the mean diameter — is from about 70 to 

 150 microns. The known spore coat orna- 

 mentation varies from levigate, granulose, 



punctate to reticulate. The bladder orna- 

 mentation is known to be either granulose 

 or punctate. The trilete rays always ex- 

 tend at least three-fourths the distance to 

 the margin of the spore coat and generally 

 to the margin or very close to it. Lips are 

 not usually developed and the commissure 

 is frequently distinct. The spore coat 

 ranges in thickness from 1.5 to 5 microns, 

 the bladders are usually 0.75 to 2 microns 

 thick. The affinity of spores of this genus 

 is unknown. There exist two possibilities 

 on the basis of our knowledge at the present 

 time. Spencerites Scott, an isolated cone 

 genus, is an eligulate homosporous cone 

 classified with the Lycopodiaceae. Accord- 

 ing to Scott, S. majusculus is winged but 

 quite different from S. insignus, " . . . for 

 in S. majusculus each spore has three 

 wings . . . . It appears as though in 



S. insignus, the wing is not divided into 

 three parts. Scott's illustration (1898, pi. 

 15, fig. 18-C) shows a spore of S. majus- 

 culus which is suggestive of Alati-sporites 

 except that the trilete rays are short and 

 the three bladders are tightly crowded 

 against each other lengthwise. Certain 

 species of the modern genera Podocarpus, 

 Pherosphaera and possibly Microcachrys 

 have three wings. These are however all 

 southern hemisphere conifers. Thus the 

 available evidence is meager that the affin- 

 ity of Alati-sporites is possibly Lycopodia- 

 ceae, less likely gymnospermic. 



The vertical geological distribution of 

 Alati-sporites is from lower Tradewater 

 (Willis coal bed) through No. 5 coal bed 

 in the Carbondale group and in the upper 

 McLeansboro group. Two points of in- 

 terest noticed in regard to the distribution 

 of the genus are: (1) Alati-sporites is more 

 abundant in western Illinois in the Carbon- 

 dale strata and more abundant in south- 

 eastern Illinois in the McLeansboro strata 

 and (2) the genus has been observed only 

 in the upper half of the various coal beds. 



Alati-sporites hexalatus sp. nov. 



Plate 4, figure 5 



Description. — Spores are radial, body is 

 subtriangular in outline, margins between 



