36 



PENNSYLVANIA'S SPORES OE ILLINOIS 



ClRRATRIRADITES ROTATUS Sp. nOV. 

 Plate 7, figure 5 



Description. — Spores are radial, trilete, 

 roundly triangular in outline and have a 

 definite equatorial flange consisting of 

 numerous radially arranged processes. The 

 spore coat is rarely folded although occa- 

 sionally it is obliquely compressed. The 

 holotype measures 50.4 X 50 microns, and 

 the known size range is from 46 to 58 mi- 

 crons. The spore coat is coarsely punctate 

 to reticulate and the flange processes appear 

 to originate slightly to the proximal and 

 distal sides of the equator, at which point 

 the spore coat is reticulate. The processes 

 are forked at the tip and frequently anasto- 

 mosing. There appears to be a thin flange 

 matrix joining the processes and when miss- 

 ing it is thought to be due to preservation or 

 maceration. The spore body of the holo- 

 type measures 27.3 X 34.6 microns. The 

 flange varies in width from 8 to 13 mi- 

 crons. The trilete mark is distinct, the 

 commissure is thin and the lips are sharply 

 defined. The spore coat is less than 3 mi- 

 crons thick, the flange processes are about 

 2 microns thick, and the matrix of the flange 

 is very thin. 



Holotype. — Maceration 625-B Slide 7, 

 Willis coal bed, Gallatin County, Illinois. 



Discussion.— This small spore is similar 

 to the megaspore, Triletes rotatus Bartlett, 

 1928, in the formation of the processes in 

 the flange. 



GENUS Endosporites Wilson and Coe, 

 1940 



Plate 7, figure 7-9 



Endosporites ranges throughout most of 

 the coal beds in Illinois. It is rarely abun- 

 dant except for several horizons in upper 

 McLeansboro coal beds and from the 

 Murphysboro through the Dekoven coal 

 beds of upper Tradewater age. Identifica- 

 tion of species is commonly difficult because 

 of a badly folded perisporial bladder. E. 

 vesicatus sp. nov. and E. plicatus sp. nov. 

 have proved of value in correlating coal beds 

 of the McLeansboro group. Additional 



species are known to occur in Illinois but 

 because of insufficient specimens .only three 

 new species are described. 



The following description of the genus 

 Endosporites is based on eight established 

 species and three new species: spores are 

 radial, trilete, with a perisporial bladder, and 

 laterally compressed in fairly good proximal- 

 distal orientation. The bladder is general- 

 ly plicated and occasionally the exosporial 

 body may be slightly folded. The size 

 range is from 50 to 175 microns for Ameri- 

 can species of the genus. Schopf, Wilson, 

 and Bentall (1944) include a doubtful 

 species, E. (?) karczewskii (Zerndt) S. W. 

 and B., 1944, transferred from Triletes 

 which would extend the size range to 300 

 microns. The bladders may be ornamented 

 externally by being levigate to granular to 

 punctate, or internally by coarse punctations 

 or by being reticulate. The exosporial body 

 may be levigate or punctate. The trilete 

 rays are distinct, and extend either to the 

 periphery of the exosporial body or at least 

 two-thirds the distance to it. The lips 

 are frequently elevated and the commissure 

 may be thin or wide. Apical papillae may 

 be present or absent. The perisporial 

 bladder is usually membraneous and the 

 exosporial body is considerably thicker but 

 probably does not exceed three microns. 

 There is little doubt that spores of this 

 genus are closely related to the Cordaita- 

 leans. 



Three new species from Illinois coal beds 

 are: 



1. E. formosus 



2. E. vesicatus 



3. E. plicatus 



Endosporites formosus sp. nov. 

 Plate 7, figure 9 



Description. — Spores are radial, trilete, 

 roundly triangular in outline in transverse 

 plane with a distinct perisporial bladder. 

 The holotype measures 117.6 X 105 mi- 

 crons ; the exosporial body wall measures 63 

 X 54.6 microns and the known size range 

 is from 101 to 122 microns. Folding of the 

 bladder and the body wall is common. The 



