CALAMOSPORA 



51 



posed of abortive and fertile spores have 

 also been observed in coal maceration 

 residues (Schopf, 1938, p. 51). Most 

 noteworthy is the fact that large spores 

 exceeding half a millimeter in diameter 

 show characters very similar to those of 

 less than 100 microns in diameter. Al- 

 though heterospory was well established, 

 a seemingly continuous size gradation ex- 

 ists between the largest members and the 

 smallest with little but relative size as a 

 distinguishing feature. Spores in fructi- 

 fications which are less than about 90 

 microns in diameter frequently are re- 

 garded as microspores and those that ex- 

 ceed that size often appear to represent 

 megaspores. But in different species and 

 in general there seems to be no exact 

 way to distinguish between them unless 

 the contrasting size spore is present in 

 the same fructification for comparison. 



Species distinguished within Calamo- 

 spora probably include spores of one mor- 

 phologic category only and thus hetero- 

 sporous plants may oftentimes be recorded 

 under two specific names. This is no 

 serious disadvantage if we are interested 

 in obtaining the most precise information 

 that such material can provide. If rec- 

 ords thus integrated are obtained, it will 

 eventually be possible to trace the corre- 

 lation of large and small spore forms in 

 some instances. It is doubtful that the 

 majority will soon be resolvable in this 

 fashion, however, and in the meantime 

 there is need for the most accurate re- 

 porting of this material that is feasible. 



Six species previously described and 

 named are listed below, one of which is 

 queried, and one new species described. 

 Spores of this generic character are com- 

 mon in many American coals and this 

 genus will be useful in providing a sys- 

 tematic means of recording them. It has 

 seemed advisable to describe C. hartungi- 

 ana, one of the characteristic American 

 forms, to serve as a genotype of Calamo- 

 spora rather than utilizing the published 

 description of a species previously estab- 

 lished. Most of the descriptions already 

 published are less detailed than desired 

 and are still insufficiently illustrated for 

 purposes of close comparison. 



50>^ 



Fig. 1 — Calamospora hartungiana sp. nov., draw- 

 ing from microprojection of holotype. 



]. Calamospora hartungiana Schopf, sp. nov. 

 Text figure 1. 



Description. — Spores spherical, compressed 

 to polygonal or acutely lenticular out- 

 line, generally with several more or less lunate 

 lenticular folds. Total spore diameter ranges 

 from 80-100 microns where the outline is not 

 foreshortened by obvious folds. Trilete rays 

 about one-fourth of spore diameter, sutures 

 distinct and slightly undulating, lips low but 

 definite of from less than one to two microns 

 width on either side of the suture. Arcuate 

 ridges may be regarded as lacking but the 

 pyramic areas are slightly thicker and darker 

 by transmitted light than the rest of the spore 

 coat and have slightly coarser surface texture 

 (kontakthof ). Spore coat thin, one micron or 

 less, generally yellowish translucent or some- 

 what red when light is transmitted through 

 numerous thicknesses due to folds or the over- 

 lapping of several spores. Spore coat minutely 

 rugose to granular ; at low magnification' the 

 surface appears quite smooth. 



Calamospora hartungiana corresponds in gen- 

 eral with spores Hartung (1933) obtained from 

 fructifications of Macrostachya and Paleo- 

 stachya, some species of which are described 

 as having a similar "kontakthof." He suggests 

 that microspores and isospores of the Calamari- 

 ans range from 60-150 microns in diameter, and 

 spores of the species just described presumably 

 would fit one of those categories. Probably 

 much more needs to be known of the spores of 

 calamarian fructifications in order to be cer- 

 tain of this, but there can be no doubt as to the 

 general affinity of C. hartungiana. 



The specimens occur fairly abundantly in the 

 8- to 10-inch coal of the Macoupin cyclothem 

 (middle McLeansboro age) which is exposed 

 along Salt Fork of Vermilion River northwest 

 of Fairmount, Vermilion County, Illinois. Spores 

 of this sort occur in spore masses 2 mm. or 

 more in length, as well as isolated among the 

 other materials in the residue. The holotype 

 specimen illustrated (text fig. 1) was separated 

 from a spore mass of this sort when the material 

 was being mounted in diaphane. Thus numer- 

 ous other specimens have also been available for 

 comparison. The size- of the spore masses and 

 number of spores loosely pressed together in 

 them (several hundred, although the masses 



