GENUS RETICULATI-SPORITES 



25 



Holotype. — Maceration 576 Slide 4, coal 

 bed below the New Haven limestone, 

 Gallatin County, Illinois. 



Discussion. — This species is similar to A. 

 pustulatus (Ibrahim) Ibrahim, 1933, but 

 the spore coat is not reticulate, the bladders 

 are variously folded, and there is a dif- 

 ference in size between the two species. 



Alati-sporites trialatus sp. nov. 

 Plate 4, figure 3 



Description. — Spores are radial, body is 

 subtriangular in outline, margins of spore 

 wall between radii concave in transverse 

 plane, corners broadly rounded. There are 

 three bladders which are usually not greatly 

 folded. Overall diameter of holotype is 

 90.3 X 98.2 microns and the spore body 

 measures 55.2 microns X 64.8 microns. The 

 bladders range in length from 65.8 to 67 

 microns and overlap the spore body as much 

 as 13 microns. -The known spore body 

 range in the mean diameter is from 50 to 

 65 microns. The spore coat is levigate and 

 the bladders are punctate. The bladders 

 are sometimes connected as shown on plate 

 4, figure 3. Notice the lower left corner 

 which illustrates this point and that in 

 effect there are two bladders : one interradial 

 between two rays, and one which is deeply 

 dissected and at the other ray. The spore 

 coat varies in thickness from 2 to more than 

 4 microns. The bladders are as much as 

 2 microns thick. 



Holotype.— Maceration 543-B Slide 20, 

 No. 5 coal bed, Fulton County, Illinois. 



A. varius sp. nov. 



Plate 4, figure 1 



Description. — Spores are radial, body is 

 somewhat triangular, margins between 

 radii are concave, corners are broadly 

 rounded and there are three bladders, each 

 folded, giving the appearance of six bladders. 

 The overall diameter of the holotype is 

 116.8 X 128.5 microns, and the spore body 

 measures 72.25 X 84.8 microns. The 

 bladders range from 85 to 91.3 microns in 

 length and overlap the spore body proximal- 

 ly and distally as much as 10 to 11 microns. 



The juncture of the bladders with the spore 

 coat is somewhat crenulate. The spore coat 

 is levigate and the bladders are punctate. 

 The tetrad mark extends nearly to the mar- 

 gin without extensive lip or commissure 

 development. The spore wall is 2 to 3 

 microns thick and the bladders are 1 to 2 

 microns thick. 



Holotype. — Maceration 543-B Slide 7, 

 No. 5 coal bed, Fulton County, Illinois. 



Discussion. — A. varius sp. nov. is similar 

 to A. inflatus sp. nov. except for size and 

 folding of the bladders. 



GENUS Reticulati-sporites (Ibrahim, 

 1933) emend., S. W. and B., 1944 



Plate 4, figures 6-7; Plate 5, figures 1-2, 4-5 



Reticulati-sporites is rarely abundant in 

 Illinois, excepting for certain coal beds in 

 the upper McLeansboro, particularly the 

 LaSalle and New Haven. It is known to 

 occur also in the Carbondale, Tradewater, 

 and Caseyville groups in a somewhat dis- 

 continuous pattern which is of value for 

 correlation studies. There are seven named 

 species which are described and illustrated; 

 they are listed by Schopf, Wilson, and 

 Bentall (1944), from European literature 

 as well as about a dozen forms of Raistrick 

 and Knox from Britain which are illus- 

 trated and described to some extent but not 

 given binomial names. Six new species, 

 the first from the United States are: 



1. R. adhearens 



2. R. irregularis 



3. R. lacunosus 



4. R. muricatus 



5. R. scrobiculatus 



6. R. splendens 



Several additional new species are known 

 to occur but owing to the lack of sufficient 

 specimens are not described at this time. 



The following is a description of the 

 genus based on the seven previously pub- 

 lished species plus the six new species here 

 described : Spores are radial, strongly to 

 weakly trilete and in some cases apparently 

 alete. In outline the spores are generally 

 round although some species are oval or 

 roundly triangular which may be due to 

 compression. Folding of the spore coat is 



