54 



PENNSYLVANIAN SPORES OF ILLINOIS 



bladder. The body is spherical, and fold- 

 ing of bladder and body is rather common. 

 The holotype dimensions are 81.9 X 109.2 

 microns, and the known range in the largest 

 diameter is from 80 to 112 microns. The 

 body dimensions of the holotype are 73.5 

 X 73.5 microns and the known range is 

 from 60 to 75 microns. The bladder and 

 body both appear to be finely punctate. The 

 trilete rays are usually at least 20 microns 

 in length. The lips are poorly developed, 

 and the suture is generally well marked. 

 The spore coat is frequently broken open 

 along the suture lines. The spore coat and 

 bladder appear to be thin, not exceeding 2 

 microns. 



Genotype. — Maceration 587 Slide 8, 

 Battery Rock coal bed, Hardin County, 

 Illinois. 



Discussion. — S. rara sp. nov. is a rare but 

 rather important floral member of the 

 Battery Rock coal bed. Additional speci- 

 mens for the study of this genus might be 

 found in the Main Nolin coal bed of 

 western Kentucky if chart No. 6 of the 

 subcommittee on Pennsylvania!! correlations 

 is correct. 



GENUS Wilsonia gen. nov. 

 Plate 14, figures 1-4 



The generic name Wilsonia is proposed 

 for prepollens of the following character: 

 Grains are radial, trilete, and body and 

 bladder are round in transverse plane. They 

 are usually flattened in good proximal-dis- 

 tal orientation. Folding of the bladder is 

 common and folding of the body occasionally 

 occurs. The known size range is from 69 

 to 98 microns including the bladder. The 

 bladder covers all of the distal portion of 

 the body. The proximal portion of the 

 body is either completely covered by the 

 bladder or largely covered by it. Wilsonia 

 is related to Endosporites differing in that 

 the body is indistinct as shown by examina- 

 tion of plate 14, figure 1. Contrast this 

 indistinct body with Endosporites plate 7, 

 figures 7 to 9. Internal bladder reticula- 

 tion appears to be a common feature of 

 conifer pollen grains. There appears to be 

 a slight peripheral bladder thickening in 



Wilsonia delicatus sp. nov. which may or 

 may not be due to the internal bladder orna- 

 mentation. The rays extend at least three- 

 fourths the distance to the body margin, 

 the lips are elevated, and the commissure 

 is usually thin. The body wall is 2 to 3 

 microns thick, and the bladder ranges in 

 thickness from 1.5 to 2.2 microns. 



Wilsonia has been isolated from coal beds 

 in Illinois, Iowa, and Ohio. It occurs in 

 the No. 6 and LaSalle and other coal beds 

 in Illinois, but is not numerically abundant. 



The following new species are from 

 Illinois coal beds and the first described 

 served as the genotype. 



Wilsonia vesicatus sp. nov. 

 Plate 14, figures 1-3 



Description. — Grains are radial, trilete, 

 and round in transverse plane including 

 bladder, which covers the body distally and 

 proximally. Folding of bladder and body 

 is usually adjacent to the rays. The over- 

 all dimensions are 79.8 X 75.6 microns and 

 the body measures 52.5 X 46.2 microns. 

 The known overall size range is from 69 

 to 81 microns, and the known size range 

 of the body is from 42 to 54.5 microns. 

 The trilete mark is distinct and the rays 

 extend to the margin of the body wall. 

 Folding of the bladder membrane makes the 

 rays appear to extend beyond the body. 

 Suture thin, lips elevated and prominent. 

 Bladder levigate externally, reticulate in- 

 ternally. Body apparently essentially levi- 

 gate to granulose. The body wall is 2 to 

 2.5 microns thick and the bladder 1.5 to 

 2 microns thick. 



Genotype. — Maceration 600 Slide 2, La- 

 Salle coal bed, Bureau County, Illinois. 



Discussion. — Wilsonia vesicatus sp. nov. 

 is thought to be of gymnospermic origin, 

 since the bladder in many respects re- 

 sembles certain coniferous pollen described 

 by Florin (1944). 



Wilsonia deltcata sp. nov. 



Plate 14, figure 4 



Description. — The grains are radial, 

 trilete, and round in transverse plane in- 



