CALCAREOUS ALGAE OF THE MIDDLE EAST 73 



Horizon. Upper Jurassic-bottom Cretaceous (Kimmeridgian, Portlandian- 

 Valanginian) of Switzerland and Southern France, Italy, Jugoslavia : and of Middle 

 East (Arabia) ; Qatar, Trucial Oman and Hadhramaut. 



Material. Solid and thin-section material from the subsurface Upper Jurassic 

 (upper part) of the Dukhan wells, Qatar Peninsula, Arabia, where it is common ; 

 also at the same level in Gezira no. i well, Murban, Abu Dhabi, Trucial Oman. Also 

 from the Upper Jurassic of Al Hamiah, Coastal Wahidi, Hadhramaut ; and from 

 the subsurface Lower Thamama formation (bottom Cretaceous) of Murban no. 2 

 well, Abu Dhabi, Trucial Oman. 



Remarks. The Qatar material corresponds with Carozzi's type material in 

 detailed morphology, number of branches per verticil, etc. : the maximum size seen 

 (external diameter o-6o) is a little less than Carozzi records, and the minimum 

 measurement encountered for this dimension (0-26 mm.) is also less than that given 

 for the type-material. Since the closely similar 5. apenninica Sartoni and Crescenti 

 (see below) differs mostly in its smaller size, a series of Qatar specimens were carefully 

 measured for outer and inner diameter and spacing between verticils. Of thirteen 

 such examples, only one fell completely within the limits given for the smaller species, 

 and it is considered that this is best regarded as a small example of S. annulata. At 

 Qatar the material consists of short lengths only of tube, occurring amongst ooliths 

 and rounded fragments and often rolled, and it may be that sorting has occurred 

 before burial. 



Salpingoporella apenninica Sartoni & Crescenti 

 (PI. 20, figs. 1, 2, 5) 



1962 Salpingoporella apenninica Sartoni and Crescenti : 266, pi. 44, figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8. 



Description (based on Sartoni & Crescenti). Small tubular calcified dasyclad, 

 straight or slightly curved and usually occurring in fragments of up to 1 mm. or more 

 in length, external diameter 0-19-0-32 mm., internal diameter 0-097-0-22 mm., the 

 walls perforated by horizontal verticils of branches at about 0-08-0-16 mm. apart, 

 each verticil consisting of 8-14 simple radial branches widening terminally and 

 opening in a shallow horizontal annular groove. Pores alternate in position from 

 one verticil to the next, and between them the external interverticil walls are gently 

 convex. 



Horizon. Upper Jurassic-bottom Cretaceous (Kimmeridgian, Portlandian- 

 Valanginian) of Italy : Upper Jurassic of Iraq. 



Material. Abundant thin-sections from the subsurface Najmah Formation 

 (Upper Jurassic) of Kirkuk no. 117 well ; also rarely in the subsurface Jurassic of 

 Mileh Tharthar no. 1 well, Dulaim Liwa, believed to be a caving from the Makhul 

 Formation (Tithonian) in this well. Both localities are in northern Iraq. 



Remarks. The Iraqi material corresponds well in morphology and dimensions 

 with the Italian type-material (external diameters of 0-208-0-286 mm., internal 

 diameters of 0-104-0-130 mm.). This species is very similar to 5. annulata : the 



