Durham E-Theses The British Lithostrotiontidae Nudds, John R. How to cite: Nudds, John R. (1975) The British Lithostrotiontidae, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/8215/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. a?HE BEITISH LITHOSTEOTIOOTIDAE by John R. Mudds Graduate Society thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Durham Volume 1 (Text) Department of Geological Sciences, University of Durham. November, 1975. PLATE 1 (Frontispiece) Lithostrotion sive Basaltes minimus striatus et stellatus. Reproduced from the 1760 'Editio altera* edition of •Lithophylacii Britannici Ichnographia* by Edweird Lhwyd (First edition 1699)» This is the earliest illustration of Lithostrotion and the first designation of a scientific name to this group of corals, albeit pre-Linnaen« Lhwyd states that the coral came from Wales. Parkinson (I808) states that it is from Giltar Point, Tenby, Pembrokeshire (S2 Zone). A visit to Giltar Point proved unsuccessful for no specimens of cerioid Lithostrotion could be found at this locality. It is possible that Parkinson was mistaken in suggesting this locality for Lhwyd»s coral. Alternatively the species may be rare in this area and industrious palaeontologists, following Parkinson's directions, may have collected the few that were present. V u V a. C 2 0) Q- xi ABSTRACT A revision ajad systematic study <£ the British species of the Carboniferous rugose coral family Lithostrotiontidae is dascrihed. No revision of this group has appeared since the middle of Mas last century. Results show that 15 described cerioid species of lAthostrotion can be lumped into four species. In addition L, decipiens depressum subsp* nov. is described in this group. The fasciculate species of Lithostarotion have been extended by -tiie separation of Jj, variabile sp,. nov,, L. scaleberense sp, nov,J L, .iunceum commu,nicatum subsp, nov,, L, martini praenuntium subsp, noy, and L, martini simplex subsp, nov. The genus Diphyphyllum is shown to be polyphyle tic ally derived and its species are referred back to Lithostrotion, The monospecific genus Nemistium is considered synonymous with Lithostrotion and ranoved. Its one species is an evolutionary intermediate between two species of Lithostrotion. The genus Orionastraea is reviewed and 0, sera sp, nov. is described. Two species of Orionastraea are referred to ftidsonia gen, nov. which, though similar morphologically to Orionastraea, has a different ancestral ^ecies. £[• Mfttura sp. nov. is described in this genus. The genus Aulina is excluded from the Lithostrotiontidae as it is thought to have different ancestors. It is restricted to include only forms withmassive coralla and A. boteinica sp. nov. and A. rotif ormis aphroidia subsp. nov. are descidbed. Easciculabe species of Aulina are referred to Easoicaulina gen, nov. as they are apparently unrelated to Aulina sensu strieto. The phylogeny of the Lithostrotiontidae is described and shown to proceed by following certain evolutionary trends which lead to an increasing level of coloniality within the group. The evolutionary centre ani there• fore the palaeomigration directions of the Lithostrotiontidae are shown to change during the phylogeny and iiiis is related to iJie global palaeogeography of the CarbonifeiK)us period. Discovery of well preserved material has allowed the skeletal changes during the hystero-ontogeny of L. martini to iii be determined. This revision has led to a better understanding of the species in the Lithostrotiontidae so that their value as statigrsphical zonal xAdices has been increased. iiii ACKNOWLEDG-MMTS The author is indebted to numerous persons and organisations for help freely given in pursuit of iSiia research. Eirst, I am indebted to Professors G.M.. Brown and M.H.P.Bott of the University of Durham fbr allowing me to use the facilities in the Department of Geolo^cal Sciences, Secondly, special thanks are due to Dr. G-.A.L. Johnson fbr originally suggesting tiie topic of this research, for his supervision of the work and for his constant enthusiastic encouragement during the past three years* I am also grateful to „Drs. G.P. Larwood and J.R. Senior for helpful palaeontological discussion and to the former especially for his help with taxonomic problems. I am indebted to the following persons and the institutions they • represent for their loan to me of type material from their collections which has always been willingly given: Miss V. Burns, Trinity College, Dublin; Mr. E. Campbell, Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow; Dr. C.L. Forbes, Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge; Mr. M. Mitchell, Institute of Geological Sciences, Leeds; Dr. C. O'Eiordan, National Museum of Ireland, Dublin; Dr. J.B. Robinson, University College, London; Dr. W.D.I, Rolfe, Hunterian Museum, G'lasgow; Dr. B.R, Rosen and Mr, R,P, Wise, British Museum, London and Dr, P, Semenoff-Tian-Chansky, Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris to whom I am especially grateful for his hospitality and personal help. I would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Miss B,J, I^rah of the Yorkshire Museum, York; Miss S, Turaer of the Hancock Museum, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Dr. CD. Waterston of the Royal Scottish Muse\M, Edinburgh who allowed me to view the corals in •ftieir collections. Thanks are also due to Mr. G-. Dresser and Mr. J. Clayton of the Department of Geological Sciences, University of Durham for printing the plates incorporated in this thesis. Great benefit has been cterived from discussion with DQT fellow research workers in particular Mr. R.G-. Hardy and Mr. P.D. Taylor and thanks are V also due to many past and present undergraduates of the University of Durham fbr the donation of specimens collected during their own field work. I am most grateful to Mrs. M. Senior for typing the manuscript, and finally to my wife for preparing the bibliogr^hy, editing the text and especially for her patience and support over the last three years. The work was carried out during the tenure of a grant from tiie Natural Environmental Research Council fbr which I am veiy grateful. vi CONTENTS Page Frontispiece Abstract ii Acknowledgements iiii Contents vi List of Figures xi Explanation of Plates xiii List of Tables xvi Part 1 INTKODUCTION 1 Chapter 1 Introduction 2 Chapter 2 Stratigraphy 5 Chapter 3 Skeletal Morphology of the Lithostrotiontidae 11 Part 2 PALABONTOLOGICAL CONCLUSIONS 18 Chapter 1 Phylogeny 19 The Early Lineage 19 Primary Radiation 20 Second Radiation 2k Final Radiation 26 The Aulate Genera 30 The Fascicaulina Lineage 3^ The Aulina Lineage 36 Conclusion 37 Chapter 2 Stratigraphical Ranges of the Species of the Lithostrotiontidae 39 vii Page Chapter 3 Evolutionary Trends in the Lithostrotiontidae k2 "l. The 'Martini' Trend kZ Advantages of the 'Martini' Trend and Genetic Considerations ^3 2. Neoteny _ ^'f Advantages of Neoteny and Genetics ¥f 5. The Cerioid Trend kb Advantages of the Cerioid Trend 51 Genetics of the Cerioid Trend 52 k. The Astraeoid Trend 53 Advantages of the Astraeoid Trend 5*^ Genetics of the Astraeoid Trend 5^ 5» The Aphroid Trend 55 Advantages and Genetics of the Aphroid Trend 55 6, The 'Garwoodi' Trend 56 Advantages and Genetics of the 'Garwoodi' Trend 57 - 7« lEhe Diphyphylloid Trend 57 Advantages and Genetics of the Diphyphylloid Trend 58 8, The Aulate Trend 59 Advantages and Genetics of the Aulate Trend 60 Chapter Development of Coloniality in the Lithostrotiontidae 62 Simple to Fasciculate (Dendroid and Phaceloid) Colonies 62 Fasciculate to Cerioid Colonies 63 Cerioid to Astraeoid and Thamnastraeoid Colonies 68 Thamnastraeoid to Aphroid to Indivisoid Colonies 70 Summary 71 viii Page Chapter 5 Palaeomigration Directions of the Lithostrotiontidae fauna in the North of England 72 Introduction 72 The Visean Lithostrotion fauna 72 The Namurian Lithostrotiontid fauna 73 The Lithostrotion - Aulina fauna in China and Russia 76 Palaeogeography 80 Aulina fauna in America 81 Conclusion 82 Chapter 6 Asexual Reproduction in the Lithostrotiontidae 8** Introduction 8^ Methods 85 Lateral budding in Lithostrotion martini 87 Variation in budding in Lithostrotiontid species 91 Part 3 SYSTEMATICS 93 Methods of Study 9k Systematics of the Lithostrotiontidae 99 Family Lithostrotiontidae 99 Taxonomic History of the Lithostrotiontidae 102 Genus Lithostrotion Fleming 115 Lithostrotion maccoyanum Edwards and Halme 121 Lithostrotion declplens declplens (McCoy) 12'f Lithostrotion declplens depressum subsp, nov, I3I Lithostrotion vorticale (Parkinson) 132 Lithostrotion aranea (McCoy) 139 Note on the Cerioid Species l'f5 Lithostrotion junceum junceum (Fleming) 1^7 ix Page Lithostrotion junceum