A Brief Summary of the Studies of Rock-Forming Calcareous Algae in Japan

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE STUDIES OF ROCK-FORMING CALCAREOUS ALGAE IN JAPAN

HISA KATSU Y ABE Emeritus Professor, Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, T6hoku University, Sendai, )apan

ABSTRACT stone of Naha, Okinawa-zima, RyukyG. Islands ( HEYDLICH, 1900, p. 1, PL. 7, FIGS. 1, The r61e of calcareous algae is great in the cons truction of limestone formations. This note gives 2), and the other by A. Karpinsky who a retrospect of the studies pursued in Japan on the described Mizzia of the Permian fusulinid fossil algal floras taking part in the constitution of limestone of Akasaka, Huha-gun, Gihu Pre various limestones in different ages of the Japanese fecture (KARPINSKY, 1910, pp. 257-272, Islands and the islands of the Japanese possession in the pre-war time. I n short, the algae of the PL. 3). Yabe also cited many localities of corallinaceae and Halimeda are dominant in the fossil Corallinaceae in his note on the geolo Cenozoic limestones, Petrophyton in the Lower gical and geographical distribution of higher Cretaceous Orbitolina calc-psammite, algae of the foraminifera in the japanese Tertiary (Y ABE, Dasycladaceae and of the Porostromata, besides Solenopora, in the Upper Jurassic Torinosu limestone, 1920, p. 1 et seq.). algae of the Dasycladaceae, especially Mizzia, in Since the foundation of the Institute of the Permian fusulinid limestones 'and Solenopora in Geology and Palaeontology in the Tohoku a Gotlandian limestone. Some remarks are added University, Sendai, this line of researches regarding Collenia and Girvanella limestones, and also two interesting finds of Margaritina and Triplo was pursued rather subsidiarily by some of the porella in some Permian limestones of China. staff-members and students, until in late years one of the graduates, K. Ishizima, commenced his special studies. He already HE first attempt to study rock-foml issued many papers in this connection in ing calcareous algae in japan was which the following forms were described T undertaken about half a century ago (ISHIJIMA, 1923-1943). by K. Nishiwada in the Geological Institute of the University of Tokyo under Prof. M. LIST OF THE FOSSIL CALCAREOUS Yokoyama. The material he then dealt with ALGAE DESCRIBED BY ISHIJIMA is the nullipore limestone of the Sagara dis trict, Sizuoka Prefecture, where there are two Early Holocene: Raised coral reef solitary hills entirely built of nullipores which Amphiroa howei Ishijima Isigaki-zim3. he identified with Lithothamnium ramossis Plio-Pleistocene: RyGkyG limestone simum Reuss from the Leithakalk of the Vienna basin, Austria (NISHIWADA, 1894, Corallina ) sp. TaiJ<6zan A mpillroa complexa Ishij ima Sy6k6zan p. 236, PL. 29, FIGS. 1-4). For a long time A. cylindriCCt Isltijima Sy6k6zan, since, the studies of algal remains have been K6t6syo, neglected, although similar or allied objects Sirakawa are common in the Tertiary and later lime A. elegans lsltijima Taik6zan A cf ephedraea ( Lamx.) stones of HonsyG. (the main Island of japan) .-\rescl1. Wanai as well as of the Bonin Islands, Ryukyu .4. foliacea Ishijima Kawahira Islands, Borodino Islands and Formosa .4. fonnosana Ishijima Taik6zan all in japanese possession in the A. fragilissim:t Ishijima Sy6k6zan, (Taiwan), Kawahira pre-war time. In the meantime, there ap .4 hayasakai Ishijima Zyunk6si peared three papers with the descriptions .~.howei Ishijima [(6t6syo of fossil algae in some of these limestones: .~.kotobukiana lshijima Kotobukiyama one by R. B, Newton and R. Holland who .4. kotobukiana wanaiensis Ishijima Wanai illustrated Lithothamnium ramossissimum A longissima Ishijima Sirakawa from FOm1osa and Iriomote-zima, RyukyQ .4. rigida Lamouroux K6t6svo Islands, in association of Nephrolepidina A. shirakawaensis Sirakawa (NEWTON & HOLLAND, 1902, p. 17, PL. I, A. taiwanica Ishijima K6t6syo .~.tenuis Ishijiroa Sirakawa, FIG. 8); one by F. Heydlich who described K6t6syo Lithohamniscum nahaense nov" from a lime- A. verrucosa Kutzing K6t6syo 44+ THE PALAEOBOTANIST

A wanaiensis Ishijima Wanai S6yJ<6zan. Okayama-gun, Takao Prefecture A. spp. Sirakawa, Wanai, Kotobukiyama. Takao Tint6zan, Zyunk6si, K6syun-gun, Takao Prefecture Zyunk6si Nank6-Taik6, Tait6 district A rchaeolithothamnium hanzawai Payapaya, Tait6 district lshijima T6sato Tint6zan, Kansirei, Sirakawa-sy6, Sinei-gun, Lithothamnium bandanum Tainan Prefecture Foslie Taik6zan Lithophyllum moluccana Foslie Kotobukiyama Ishijima re-examined "Lithothamnium L. sp. Itoman ramossissimum" of Nishiwada from Megami A rthrocardia weberi Ishij ima Kotobukiyama and Ogamiyama; it is not a Lithothamnium Lirhoporella australis Ishijima !toman, Kita- Dait6-zima s.s., but a Lithophyllum and now named L. crassa Ishijima Near Ota-ana by him Lithophyllunt nishiwadai (ISHI]IMA, L. formosana Ishijima Kotobukiyama 1943 a, 71-73, TEXT-FIG. 7). The true generic L. hayasakai Ishijima North of Odake position of " Lithothamniscw/'n nahaense Heyd L parvus Jshijima Kasari L.ryii.!lyiiensis Ishijima North of Odake, lich " is still uncertain. T6sato A good amount of calcareous algae, mostly Corallinaceae, takes part in the constitution J\liocene -Nephrolepidin{/. and related limestones of the Middle Eocene nummulitic tuff, Upper Corallina elliptica Ishijima Ogamiyama, Eocene Orthophragmina limestone and Aqui Megamiyarna tanian Eulepidina limestone of Ogasawara Jania lemoini Ishijima Kuboi zima (Bonin Islands); these are not yet A rchaeolithothamnium kuboiensis Ishijima Kuboi studied. A. megamiensis Ishijima Megamiyama The fossils of the Corallinaceae, so common A. taiwanensis Ishijima Payapaya in the Cenozoic deposits, are rare in the A. sp. Nank6-Taik6 Mesozoic of Japan, just as in the other parts Lithopnrella quadritica Ishijima Megamiyama Mesophyllum yabei Ishijima Kayanuma of the world; yet they are occasionally found in thin sections of the Lower Creta Upper Oligocene ( Aquitanian) - Spiroclvpetts ceous Orbitolina calc-psammite of the Miyako limestone district in the Kitakami mountainland, and A rchaelithothamnium pseudo- of the Upper Jurassic Torinosu limestone nummulitic!lm lshijima K6t6syo of the Sakawa basin in Sikoku and the Soma Upper Eocene - Pellatispim limestone district in the Abukuma mountainland; these remains are conventionally assigned A rchaeolithothamnium kobamazimaellsis Ishijima Sakota to Lithothamniw/'n by Yabe and Toyama (YABE & TOYAMA, 1928, pp. 150, 151, PL. 19, FIGS. PL. 23, FIG. 1 ). LOCALITIES 5,6; The Upper Jurassic Torinosu limestone HonsyiJ (main island ), Japan contains many problematical fossils; one of Ogamiyama near Sagara, Haibara-gun, Sizuoka them, Nipponophycus ramosus Yabe & Prefecture Toyama, has slender branching cylindrical Megamiyama near Sagara, Haibara-gun, Sizuoka Prefecture thallus, with a thick calcified wall, traversed Kuboi, Oisi-mura, Minami-Turu-gun, Yamanasi radially by numerous fine canals, around Prefecture the axial hollow; it somewhat recalls Furcel Kayanuma near Matuda, Asigara-kami-gun, laria of the Rhodophyceae; but its true Kanagawa Prefecture KyiJsyu nature is unknown. I t occurs also in the Kasari, Kasari-mura, Amami-Osima Lower Cretaceous Orbitolina limestone of the Ryilkyu Islands Soratigawa, Hokkaido, and Orbitolina calc T6sato, lsigaki-zima psammite of the Miyako district (Y ABE & Kawahira. Isigaki-zima Sirakawa, south-west of Nisihara, Simaziri-gun, TOYAMA, 1928, pp. 142, 143, PL. 18, FIGS. Okinawa-zima 1-6; PL. 19, FIGS. 1-4; PL. 23, FIGS. 2, 3). Kear Ota-ana, Sinto-mura, Simaziri-gun, Okinawa- The Solenoporaceae, another group of the zima Floridae, is represented by the two genera !toman, Simaziri-gun, Okinawa-zima North of Odake, Kobama-zima Solenopora and Petrophyton in the Mesozoic Sakota, Kobama-zima rocks. The former has one species, Soleno Wanai, Okinoerabu-zima pora (M etasolenopora) rothpletzi Yabe in Kita-Dait6-zima ( North Borodino Island) the Torinosu limestone of Sikoku (Y ABE, Taiwan ( Formosa) K6t6syo ( Botel Tobago) 1912, pp. 2-6, PL. 1, FIGS. 2-5 ), and the latter Taik6zan, Okayama-gun. Takao Prefecture two species, one, P. miyakoense Yabe, in the VASE - STUDIES OF ROCK-FORMING CALCAREOUS ALGAE IN JAPAN 44S

Lower Cretaceous calc-psammite of the is the commonest fossil, almost pure accu Miyako district (YABE, 1912, pp. 6-8, PL. 2, mulation of its tests forming Mizzia limestone FIGS. 1-8; TEXT-FIG. 4), and the other, P. at several places in HonsyG. At first A. tenue Yabe & Toyama, in the Lower Creta Karpinsky described Mizzia, d. velebitana ceous limestone of Sakamoto, Yatusiro-gun, Schubert, M. japonica, nov" and Stolleyella KylisyG (YABE & TOYAMA, 1928, p. 142, yabei, nov., from Neoschwagen:na limestone PL. 20, FIGS. 1, 2). of Akasaka; the two forms of M'izzia are Solenopora is also reported by T. Sugi now usually regarded to be specifically in yama from the Gotlandian of the Kitakami distinguishable from each other and identical mountainland, where its remains form Soleno with M. velebitana, and the last one is also pora limestone which occupies a definite transferred by Pia to the same genus ( KAR horizon in the uppermost part of his Kawauti PINSKY, 1910, pp. 257-272, Pc 3, FIGS. 1-13 ; series; the gen us has a wide geological range PIA, 1920, pp. 23, 24, PL. 1, FIGS. 4-6). from the Ordovician to the Jurassic in Y. Ozawa once stated the separate occur Europe. rence of M. velebitana and M. japonica in Lime-secreting species of Chara is not different horizons of the fusulinicl limestones living in japan; likewise there is no fossil of of Akasaka (OZAWA, 1927, p. 134); but it calcareous Charophyta hitherto known. Cal needs further confirmation. careous deposits of fresh-water origin are R. Endo early reported on Dasycladaceous rare. fossils of several types found in some Carboni Calcareous algae of the Chlorophyceae are ferous limestones of the Kitakami mountain geologically important. Halimeda of the land, and referred them provisionally to the Codiaceae is a great contributor to the Plio genera M akroporella, Diplopora, A nthraco Pleistocene RylikyG limestone, and there are porella and Gyroporella; these deserve further limestones almost solely built of its segments. detailed examination and some of the above I ts remains are also found not seldom in mentioned generic references probably need Lepidocyclina (s.l.) and Miogypsina lime revision (ENDO, 1924, p. 244). stones from various places. The Torinosu limestone of Sikoku, KyGsyG Gymnocodium bellerophontis Rothpletz of and the Abukuma mountain land has in the Codiaceae is an important leading fossil common Pycnoporidium lobatum Yabe & in the Permian Bellerophon limestone of Toyama and Stenoporidium chaetetiformis south-eastern Europe; a similar form occurs Yabe & Toyama. These are probably relat very rarely in the Permian Yabeina limestone ed to Solenoporella Rothpletz, Ortonella Gar of the Kuma-gawa, KyGsyG. wood, Mitscheldeania Wethered, Zonotrichites The Dasycladaceae is well represented by Bornemann, Dimorphostroma Reis, and Hed several interesting forms in the Torinosu stromia Rothpletz. With the exception of limestone of the Sakawa basin, namely: the first genus, all the others are included by Pia in the group Thamnidia of the Clypeina hanabataensis Yabe & Toyama Porostromata (Schizophyceae) (Y ABE & Neogyroporella elegans Yabe & Toyama TOYAMA, 1928, pp. 146-150, PL. 20, FIG. 3; N. sp. PL. 21, FIGS. 1-5; PL. 22, FIGS. 1-4). Thyrsoporella (?) hanabataens2's Yabe & Kitakamiania eguchii Ishijima is another Toyama resemblant of Ortonella, lVIitscheldeania and M akroporella tosaensis Yabe & Toyama Pycnoporidium; its filaments are much broad Clypeina ranges from the jurassic to the er and separated from one another by Tertiary; N eogyroporella is a new type allied broader intervals than in Pycnoporidium to Gyroporella Gumbel emend Benecke from lobatum and often come into contact with the Triassic. Thyrsoporella seems to have adjacent ones or are supported by common an equally wide geological range as Clypeina, transverse bars. Ishijima considers it to be though its fossils are previously known only most nearly related to the Codiaceae ( ISHI from the Tertiary; M akroporella tosaensis JIMA, 1943, pp. 639-641, FIGS. 1,2). is an ally of M. pygmaea Gumbel from the Pseudoolites, pisolites or crusts formed of Upper jurassic of Europe, and provisionally the filaments of Girvanella in more or less con assigned to the genus, as Pia has done for centric layers are not rare in limestones of pygmaea (YABE & TOYAMA, 1949 a, b). different geological ages. G. tos£ensis Yabe Permian limestones are sometimes rich in & Toyama of the Torinosu limestone is an Dasycladaceous algae; particularly Mizzia encrusting form (Y ABE & TOYAMA, 1928, 446 THE PALAEOBOTA:t'\lST p.151,PL.23,FIGs. 4-6), whileG.manchurica zoon, and C. fouchouensis that of Gymnosolen; Yabe & Ozaki of the Lower 'Cambrian of C. angulata is nearly a miniature figure of south Manchuria forms pisolites (Y ABE & angular folds of strata and its organic nature OZAKI, 1930, p. 82, PL. 25, FIGS. 1-7), and is most doubtful, since the writer has seen a G. sinensis Yabe of the Ordovician of Middle splendid example of it on a grand scale in an China pseudoolites (YABE, 1912, p. 1, PL. 1, exposure of a thin-bedded limestone in the FIG. 1). The latter two give rise to GirVCt Nankou Range, which is to be explained nella limestones, which serve efficiently as only as a structural feature of strata. Later, horizon indicators at least locally, one in V. P. Maslov transferred C. cylindrica to his south Manchuria and northern Korea, and new genus Conophyton (MASLOV, 1938, p. the other in the Gorge region of the Yang 329, PL. 1, FIGS. I, 5, 6). tzekiang. G. grabaui Paul is another pisolite Except these Collenia-like objects of doubt forming species from the Lower Permian ful algal origin, very little is known about Chuanshan limestone of Middle China ( PAUL, the fossil calcareous algae in China, where 1938, pp. 211-214, TEXT-FIG. 1). marine limestone formations of different ages While Girvanella reveals minute filaments, of the Palaeozoic era are extensively devel no trace of any organic structures is visible oped. Among a few material from China in Collenia or Cryptozoon and their allies, examined from time to time by the writer, common in certain Pre-Cambrian and older there are two interesting forms, namely Mar Palaeozoic limestones. I f these objects are garitina schwageri ( Zittel) and Triploporella really organic in origin, they may be pro ( Sinoporella) leei Yabe. duced more probably by the agency of algae, The former species first described from especially Schizopbyceae, than of any other the Product us limestone of the Salt Range, organisms. These objects are not yet found India, is found in a limestone float collected in Japan, but are richly represented in at Sintan Gorge of the Yangtzekiang. Its north China, south Manchuria and northern true nature and systematic position are un Korea. certain; K. v. Zittel considered it to be a A. G. Grabau distinguished Collenia smen foraminifera, Schwager as a Pharetrones sis, C. cylindrica and C. angulata, all new, in and J. J. Galloway as a calcareous alga; the Sinian Nankou limestone of Nankou the last view the writer tends to accept Range in north China (GRABAU, 1922, (YABE, 1949 b ). The latter is the earliest pp. 77-79), and R Endo & C. E. Resser member of the Dasycladaceous genus Tri C. grabaui, C. fouchouensis and C. tahoensis, ploporella, for which a new subgenus is pro all new, besides C. cylindrica I in the Sinian posed on certain features diverging from the limestone of south Manchuria (ENDO & typical Jurassic and Cretaceous forms (Y 4BE, RESSEl', 1937, pp. 104-107, PLS. 15-18). Of 1949 a). these various forms, C. tahoensis assumes A rich harvest of fossil calcareous algae the growth-form typical of Collenia, both is expected in future from the Palaeozoic C. cylindrica and C. grabaui that of Crypto- limestones of China.

REFERENCES

ENDO, 1<.. ( 1924). Palaeozoic stratigraphy of the Idem (1933) On three species of Corallinaceae southern part of the Kitakami IVIountainland lately obtainerl from the Megamiyama limestone (in Japanese) JouYn. Ceol. Soc Tokyo. 31 of Sagara district, provo Totomi, Japan. Ibid. ( 369-370): 230-249 9 ( 1, 2): 27-30. ENDO, R. & RESSER, C. E. ( 1937). The Sinian and Idem (1935). On fossils of Lithothamnium and Cambrian formations and fossils of southern Lilhophyllum, two genera of Calcareous Algae Manchollkuo. iVlanch. Sci. Mus. Bull. 1: 1-370. (in Japanese). Journ. Ceol. Soc. Japan. 42 GRABAU, 'A. "V (1922). The Sinian system. ( 504 ): 535-543 Bull. Ceol. Soc. China. 1 ( 1-4): 44-88. Idem ( 1941). A new species of Archaeolithotham HEYDLtCH. F (1900) Eine neue fossile Alge aus nium from the Kotosyo ( Botel Tobago Island) Riukiu. '/ourn. Ceol. Soc Tokyo 7: 1, 2. (in Japanese, with English abstract). Tmwan ISHIJ! M A, v\'o (1932). On two new species of Tigaku Hizi. 12 (1): 1-5. Corallineae from the Tertiary of Japan. Jap. Idem (1942a). On the Coralline Algae from the Joum. Ceol Ceogi'. 9 (3, 4): 143-147. Ryukyu limestone of Kotosyo (Botel Tobago YABE - STUDIES OF ROCK-FORIVIING CALCAREOUS ALGAE IN JAPAN 447

Island) (in Japanese, with English abstract). Si.idchinas. Bull. Ceol. Soc. China. 18 (3, 4): Ibid 13 (2. 3): 78-84 211-214. Idem (1942b). Description of two species of PIA, J. (1920). Die Siphoneae Verticillatae von Archaeolithothamnium from Taiwan. Ibid. 13 Karbon bis zur Kreide. Abh. Zool. Bot. Gesell. (4): 1-3. Wien. II. Pt. 2: 1-263. Idem (1942c). On fossil Lithoporella and its SCHWAGER, C. (1886). Protozoa in \\!. Waagen: elassification (in Japanese; species-description Productus limestone fossils Pal Indica. 13 in English). Ibid 13 (4): 1-12. (1-6): 933-944 Idem (1942d). Two new species of Archaeolitho SUGIYAMA, T (1940). Stratigraphical and palae thamniwn from the Tertiary of Japan. Trans. ontological studies of the Gotlandian deposi ts Pal. Soc. Japan. No. 149: 174-176. of the Kitakami mountainland. Sci. Rep. Idem (1943a). On some fossil Coralline Algae Tohoku Imp. Univ. (II) 21 (2): 81-146. from the Ryukyu Islands and Formosa (Taiwan). YABE, H. (1912). Ueber einige gesteinbildende Mem. Fac. Sci., Taihoku Imp. Umv. (III). I Kalkalgen. Ibid. (II). I (I): 1-8. (3): 49-76 Idem (1920). Tertiary rocks with Higher Fora Idem (1943b). Kitakamiania, a new type of minifera in Japan ( in Japanese). Journ. Ceol. Cretaceous Algae from Japan. Trans. Nat. Soc. Tokvo. 27: 77-94, 293-300, 321-326. 377- Hist. Soc. Taiwan. 33 ( 242-243 ): 639-641. 392. - KARPINSKY. A. (1910). Einige problematischen Idem (1949a). A new fossil Dasycladaceae from Fossilien sus Japan. Verh. K. Russ. Min. Cesell. the Lower Permian of China. Proc. Japan XLVI-Lf 2, 259-272. A cad. 25 (2) ( in the course of pu blication ). MASLOV, V. (1938). On the nature of Stromatolite Idem (1949b). Two Permian fossils from China Conophyton. Problems of Palaeontology. IV and Japan of uncertain affinity. Ibid. 25 329-352. (6) (in the course of publication). NEWTON, R. B. & HOLLAND, R. ( 1902). On YABE, H. & TOYAMA, S. (1928). On some roel< some fossils from the Islands of Formosa and forming Algae from the Younger Mesozoic of Riukiu (Loo Choo). Journ. Coli. ·Sci, Imp. Japan. Sci. Rep., Tohoku Imp. Univ (II). Univ. Tokyo. 17. Pt. 6: 1-23 12 (1): 141-152 NlSHIWADA, K. (1894). On some Organic remains Idem (1949a). New Dasyeladaceae from the from the Tertiary limestone near Sagara, T6t6mi. Jurassic Torinosu limestones of the Sakawa J oum. Coli. Sci., Imp. Univ. Tokyo. 8. Pt. 3: basin. Proc. Jap. Acad. 25 (5): 160-164 233-243. Idem (1949b). New Dasyeladaceae from the OZAWA, Y. ( 1927). Stratigraphical studies of the Jurassic Torinosu limestone of the Sakawa Fusulina limestone of Akasaka, province of Mino. basin. Ibid. 25 (6) (in the course of publica Joum. Fac. Sci., Imp. Univ. Tokyo. (II). 2. Pt. tion) 3: 121-164. YABE, H. & OZAKI, K. ( 1930). Cirvanella in the PAUL, H. (1938). Girvanella grabaui sp. nov. aus Lower Cambrian of South :Manchuria. Sci. dem unterpermischen Chuanshan Kalksehichten Rep. TOhoku Imp. Univ. (II). 14 (I): 79-83.

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