30 



ILLINOIS STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



arcuate ridge may be moderately to weakly 

 developed. Spore coat thick, variously or- 

 namented. 



Dijkstra (1955a) noted that some of the 

 spores referred to this section have no ear- 

 lobe-like processes, nor is the spore outline 

 always subtriangular to trilobate. Conse- 

 quently he grouped the auriculate spores 

 with the aphanozonate spores. Chaloner 

 (1953a, 1958b) described and figured auri- 

 culate megaspores with weakly to moderate- 

 ly developed "ears" from lycopod fructifica- 

 tions. Evidence from the range of morpho- 

 logical characters of the megaspores of 

 Polysporia suggested to Chaloner (19581), 

 p. 204), that "Dijkstra's broad specific in- 

 terpretation [of auriculate megaspores] 

 may be more justified than the larger num- 

 ber of species recognized by Potonie and 

 Kremp." The associated microspores are 

 of the Endosporites-type. 



Auriculate megaspores are generally pres- 

 ent in coal beds throughout the Pennsyl- 

 vanian, as are microspores of Endosporites. 

 As yet, no auriculate megaspores are known 

 from coals in the Chester Series. 



Triletes auritus Zerndt, 1930 (sensu 

 Potonie and Kremp, 1956) 



Plate 7, figures 7-11 



1930 Triletes auritus I Zerndt (1930c), p. 46; pi. 



1, figs. 4,5. 

 1955 Valvisisporites auritus (Zerndt) Potonie and 



Kremp, pi. 6, figs. 38, 40, 41, 43. 

 1950 Valvisisporites auritus (Zerndt) Potonie and 



Kremp, p. 94-95. 



Discussion. — Spores of this species range 

 from about 700 to 1100/* in size and are 

 generally proximo - distally compressed, 

 roundly deltoid in outline. The spores are 

 characterized by bulbose projections, gen- 

 erally well developed, at their radial ex- 

 tremities (pi. 7, fig. 10). According to Po- 

 tonie and Kremp (1956), the "ears" are 

 less than one-half the body radius in length, 

 narrower in width, and are less wide than 

 the equatorial distance remaining between 

 the "ear" margins. The trilete rays are 

 thin, high at the apex (pi. 7, fig. 11), but 

 decrease abruptly in height and extend as 



low lips onto the "ears." Potonie and 

 Kremp (1956) noted their occurrence in the 

 Westphalian B and C of various coal basins. 

 The maximum radial diameter, includ- 

 ing one "ear," noted during this study, 

 ranges from 650 to 1205 /*. The "ears" may 

 be more than 260 /* in length (as measured 

 from inner surface of coat by transmitted 

 light). There is apt to be a complete grada- 

 tion in "ear" size within the same assem- 

 blage. The "ears" may be weakly developed 

 on small specimens (pi. 7, fig. 7) to strongly 

 developed on large specimens (pi. 7, fig. 9). 

 The spores commonly contain an inner 

 membrane ornamented with papillae which 

 are about half the diameter of those of Tri- 

 letes brasserti (pi. 9, fig. 8b). The spore 

 coat ranges from 20 to 52 /* in thickness dis- 

 tally, is thinnest on contact areas, thicker 

 at the arcuate ridges. Although the lips are 

 generally less than 100/* in height at the 

 proximal pole, they may attain 176/* in 

 height. 



Occurrence. — No spores of this species 

 were observed in the upper Mississippian 

 coals or in the coals of the Black Creek, 

 Mary Lee, and Pratt Groups of the Warrior 

 Basin, Alabama. They are abundant in the 

 Pinnick (maceration 150) and Cannelton 



(maceration 780) Coals of Indiana, but 

 rare in another coal (maceration 779) in 

 the Mansfield Formation (?) , Indiana. The 

 spores are abundant in the Battery Rock 

 Coal (maceration 733) of Kentucky and 

 rare to abundant in the "Makanda" Coals 



(macerations 142, 905, 906, 907) of Illinois. 

 Spores of this species occur in most 

 Tradewater coals. They are present to com- 

 mon in the Babylon (macerations 145A-B, 

 523A), Willis (maceration 625A-B) , Tar- 

 ter (maceration 604A) , Pope Creek (mac- 

 erations 916, 917) , Murphysboro (macera- 

 tion 550), Bald Hill (maceration 520A) , 

 and DeKoven (?) (maceration 62 ID) Coals 

 and in an unnamed coal (maceration 936) 

 nine feet above the DeKoven Coal. The 

 spores are rare in Rock Island (No. 1) 



(macerations 528A, 599A, 589) , an un- 

 named coal just above the Stonefort 



(macerations 639, 554F), New Burnside 



