30 



PALEOZOIC FOSSIL SPORES 



P unci ati-s pontes may not always be in- 

 dicative of relationship. The affinity of 

 certain of the species with the Crossotheca 

 alliance of pteridosperms seems beyond 

 much question, however. 



The forms which Raistrick (1933, 

 1934, 1937) has assigned to his types 

 B„ Be, D3, D„ D,5 (Knox, 1938), E„ Ee, 

 E„ E„ Eg, F„ Fs (Knox, 1938) (also 

 1K( ?j, 2K and 7K, Knox, 1942) appear 

 entirely or in part referable to Punctati- 

 sporitcs. It also may include some of 

 the forms he has classed as Bg and Bg. 

 Some difficulty is encountered because 

 Raistrick evidently has designated no sin- 

 gle typical example for these groups and 

 his illustrations of the forms have differed 

 for individual types beyond what may 

 represent a specific range of variability. 

 Thus there may be some question as to 

 the consanguinity of forms labeled as D3 

 (cf. also Raistrick, 1935). Figures and 

 description of E^ given in 1933 do not ex- 

 actly correspond with that given in later 

 papers (1934, 1935). Illustrations of 

 B3 given in 1933 seem to resemble Punc- 

 tati-sporites but those illustrated in later 

 papers without much doubt are referable 

 to Calamospora n. gen. described below. 

 Since Raistrick's procedure is non-tax- 

 onomic it is impossible to form more than 

 a general opinion as to specific equiv- 

 alences in most instances. 



Remarks. — The genus Punct ati-s pontes 

 as given here includes twenty-nine species, 

 four of which are queried. All but three 

 of these names (see spp. Nos. 9, 21, 22) 

 are new combinations. The group Punc- 

 tati-sporites was originally defined by 

 Ibrahim (1933, p. 21) as including trilete 

 type spores with a granular surface, char- 

 acters which by themselves can hardly 

 be accepted as diagnostic of any generic 

 group. Three species were described, one 

 of which, P. punctatus, was designated as 

 the type. Consequently it has been pos- 

 sible to define the genus practically, only 

 by segregating those forms which ap- 

 peared congeneric with P. punctatus, and 

 the emended generic diagnosis has been 

 constructed on this basis. Neither of the 

 other two species Ibrahim originally 

 placed in the genus are considered closely 

 enough related to remain there ; P. parvus 

 Ibrahim is now assigned to the genus 

 Granulati-sporites, and P. pallidus 

 (Loose) Ibrahim to Calamospora n. gen. 



Six species previously assigned to Ver- 

 rucosi-sporites Ibrahim, including the 

 type, are here placed under Punctati-spor- 

 ites. V errucosi-sporites thus would more 

 reasonably be taken as the designation 

 for the genus except that in meaning one 

 name is no more suitable than the other 

 and strict interpretation of page priority 

 (p. 21 vs. p. 25) favors Punctati-sporites. 

 The genus also includes the type of 

 Apiculata-sporites Ibrahim (1933), a 

 monotypic genus which seems based en- 

 tirely on Ibrahim's inability to observe 

 the trilete sutures described by Loose 

 (1932) on Sporonites spinulistratus. The 

 presence of the trilete marking on this 

 species was reaffirmed by Loose in 1934. 

 In any event the genus Apiculata-sporites 

 does not seem securely founded and its 

 one species is here placed under Punctati- 

 sporites. Both groups, V errucosi-sporites 

 Ibrahim and Apiculata-sporites Ibrahim, 

 conseqently are regarded as congeneric 

 with and the names synonyms of Punctati- 

 sporites. 



The holotype of the type species, Punc- 

 tati-sporites punctatus (Ibrahim) Ibra- 

 him, is from the Aegir coal seam at the 

 top of the Westphalian B in the Ruhr 

 district of Western Germany. 



1. Punctati-sporites aculeatus (Ibrahim) 

 S. W. and B., comb. nov. 



Apiculati-sporites aculeatus Ibrahim, 



1933, Sporenformen des Aegirhorizonts, p. 

 23, pi. 6, fig. 57. 



2. Punctati-sporites aureus (Loose) S. W. 

 and B., comb. nov. 



Reticulati-sporites aureus Loose, 1934, 

 Inst. Paleobot. Arb., vol. 4, no. 3, p. 155, 

 pi. 7, fig. 24. 



3. Punctati-sporites (?) auriculaferens 

 (Loose) S. W. and B., comb. nov. 



Sporonites auriculaferens Loose, 1932, 

 Neues Jahrb., Beilage-Band 67, Abt. B, p. 

 450, pi. 18, fig. 39. 



Valvisi-sporites auriculaferens (Loose) 

 Loose, 1934, Inst. Palaobot. Arb., vol. 4, 

 no. 3, p. 152. 



4. Punctati-sporites eucculentus (Loose) 

 S. W. and B., comb. nov. 



V errucosi-sporites bucculentus Loose, 



1934, idem. p. 154, pi. 7, fig. 15. 



5. Punctati-sporites corrugatus (Ibrahim) 

 S. W. and B., comb. nov. 



Reticulati-sporites corrugatus Ibrahim, 

 1933, Sporenformen des Aegirhorizonts, pp. 

 35-36, pi. 5, fig. 41. 



