52 



ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



Babylon" (maceration 144) , Babylon 

 (macerations 145B, 588) and Willis (mac- 

 eration 625A-B) Coals. They are rare to 

 present in the Tarter (macerations 604A, 

 901) and Pope Creek (macerations 602, 

 916) Coals, lower coal (maceration 950A) 

 from Goose Lake, Rock Island (No. 1) 

 Coal (macerations 626, 589, 528A-B) , Mur- 

 physboro (macerations 550, 608), New Burn- 

 side (maceration 938B), an unnamed coal 

 just above the Stonefort (?) (maceration 

 537Q) , Wiley (maceration 525B) , and De- 

 Koven (maceration 519B, 62 ID) Coals, in 

 the unnamed coal (maceration 936) nine 

 feet above the DeKoven Coal, and in an 

 unnamed coal above the DeKoven (macera- 

 tion 35) . They are common in the Bald 

 Hill Coal (maceration 520A) and abun- 

 dant in the Rock Island (No. 1) (macera- 

 tions 929, 599A-B) and New Burnside 

 (maceration 938C) Coals. 



In the Carbondale Group these spores 

 are rare to abundant in the Colchester (No. 

 2) Coal (macerations 579A-B-C, 580, 582, 

 603B, 824, 825, 826). They are rare in the 

 Indiana Coal IV (maceration 881) , and in 

 one sample of the Harrisburg (No. 5) Coal 

 (maceration 583) . They are present in the 

 Springfield (No. 5) Coal (maceration 630) 

 and Herrin (No. 6) (Schopf, 1938) Coal 

 and abundant in Briar Hill (No. 5a) Coal 

 (maceration 633A) . 



No spores of Cystosporites varius have 

 been noted in coal beds of the McLeans- 

 boro Group. 



Cystosporites giganteus (Zerndt) 



Schopf, 1938 

 Plate 11, figures 9, 10; plate 12, figures 1-4 



1930 Triletes giganteus Zerndt (1930d), p. 71-79; 



pis. 9-11. 

 1934 Triletes giganteus Zerndt, in Zerndt, p. 13, 



fig. 2; pis. 1-5. 

 1934 Sporites giganteus (Zerndt) Wicher (1934a), 



p. 172-173;' pi. 8, fig. 9. 

 1934 Laevigati-sporites giganteus (Zerndt) Wich- 

 er (1934b), p. 88; pi. 6, figs. 1-5. 

 1938 Cystosporites breretonensis Schopf (in part), 



p. 40-42; pi. 2, fig. 1; pi. 3, fig. 4; pi. 8, figs. 



1, 2. 

 1944 Cystosporites giganteus (Zerndt) Schopf, 



1938, in Schopf, Wilson, and Ben tall, p. 42. 

 1946 Cystosporites giganteus (Zerndt) Dijkstra, 



p. 56; pi. 12, figs. 137, 138; pi. 13, figs. 142- 



145. 



1955 Cystosporites giganteus (Zerndt) Schopf, in 

 Potoni£ and Kremp, pi. 10, figs. 76-79. 



1956 Cystosporites giganteus (Zerndt) Schopf, in 

 Potonie and Kremp, p. 150-152. 



Description. — Fertile forms generally 

 large, up to 11 mm in length, sac-shaped 

 but variously folded and crumpled when 

 compressed. Trilete structures distinct but 

 small in relation to size of spore (pi. 11, 

 fig. 9; pi. 12, fig. 2) . Arcuate ridges very 

 distinct. Lips may be elongate at apex (pi. 

 11, fig. 10) , but not of the massive cushion 

 type. Spore coat characteristically fibrous 

 (pi. 12, fig. 3), usually thinnest and with 

 best developed mesh structure medially 

 (pi. 11, fig. 10). Abortive spores ranging 

 from 350 to 1000^ in total dimension (Po- 

 tonie and Kremp, 1956), usually round to 

 oval in outline (pi. 12, fig. 1) . Trilete 

 structures well developed, but thickness of 

 coat and frequent radial folds mask details 

 of contact areas and apex. Spore coat gen- 

 erally thick and granulose. 



Discussion. — Both the fertile and abortive 

 spores described by Chaloner (1954b) from 

 the Mississippian of this country and the 

 ones noted in the Mississippian and in 

 some older Pennsylvanian coals in this 

 study seem to possess a much more strongly 

 developed apical prominence than do those 

 in younger coals. The largest fertile spore 

 noted in the upper Mississippian is 6210^ 

 in length; fertde spores in younger coals 

 are generally larger. The distinction be- 

 tween abortive and fertile isolated spores is 

 difficult on the basis of size alone because 

 there seems to be a continuous size grada- 

 tion in some coals. One example (pi. 12, 

 fig. 4), about 1725 /x in total length, is prob- 

 ably a fertile spore and has one abortive 

 spore adhering to its coat and a distal ap- 

 pendage or "stalk" such as was described by 

 Bochenski (1936). Such spores, generally 

 lacking distal appendages, can hardly be 

 considered abortive, but may never have 

 reached maturation. Complete fertile speci- 

 mens are generally rare in any one macera- 

 tion, probably because they were broken in 

 transport, by induration, or in the macera- 

 tion process. 



Occurrence. — The Cystosporites gigan- 

 teus spores are present in the coals in the 



