Schizotheca fissa
Creators: name: ZÁGORŠEK, KAMIL
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Bryozoa
Gymnolaemata
Cheilostomatida
Phidoloporidae
Schizotheca
Schizotheca fissa

description: Schizotheca cf. fissa (BUSK, 1856)   
Pl. 138, Fig. 1-6  
 ? * 1856 Lepralia fissa n.sp. – BUSK p. 308, Pl. 9, Fig. 8-10   
 1989 Schizotheca fissa (BUSK, 1856) – Schmid p. 55, pl. 16, Fig. 6-9 (cum syn.)   
 ? 1999 Schizotheca fissa (BUSK, 1856) – Hayward and Ryland p. 382, Fig. 180D, 181   
M a t e r i a l: A very common species, 47 samples from different sections were studied in detail.  
165 D i a g n o s i s: Autozooecia in a linear series, oval to hexagonal. Frontal wall convex, smooth, with small areolar pores. Primary orifice with a small sinus, aperture with a median pseudo-sinus and six oral spines. Vicarious avicularia large, half the size of the autozooecia with a large palate and a pivotal bar, often immersed between autozooecia. Additional small adventitious avicularia may be present on the frontal wall. Ovicell not immersed, globular with a wide triangular frontal fissure.  
R e m a r k s: Although this is originally a recent species, all features as described by Hayward and Ryland (1999) have been also observed in the studied material. There are two differences which may indicate that the fossil specimens are different from the recent ones. The first is the presence of adventitious avicularia; which are not described from recent material. The second difference concerns the shape of the triangular frontal fissure of the ovicell. The recent material has a much narrower fissure than the fossil ones, while Schmid’s material (1989) shows the same width of the fissure as the studied material. To decide if these differences are sufficient to establish a new species requires a detailed revision of the genus, which is beyond the scope of this paper.  
 Genus Schedocleidochasma SOULE, SOULE et CHANEY, 1991   
Colony encrusting. Autozooecia with small marginal areolar pores only. Apertures rounded cleithridiate, with well developed condyles. Avicularia small, single or paired. Ovicell globular, with a nonporous frontal wall but with two marginal slits.  
  Schedocleidochasma incisa (REUSS, 1874)  Pl. 139, Fig. 1-9   
 v. * 1874 Lepralia incisa m. – Reuss p. 168, Pl. 3, Fig. 4   
 1974 Bufonellodes incisa (REUSS) – David and Pouyet p. 170, Pl. 9, Fig. 3.   
 1977 Buffonellodes incisa (REUSS) – Vávra p. 128 (cum. syn.)   
 2006 Schedocleidochasma incisa (REUSS, 1874) – Berning p. 130, fig. 173-175 (cum syn.)   
T y p e: Holotype from Eisenstadt deposited in the Natural History Museum Vienna under the number 1878.11.61 and figured by David and Pouyet (1974).  
M a t e r i a l: Very common, 42 specimens from different sections were studied in detail.  
D i a g n o s i s: Autozooecia oval, separated by deep grooves. Frontal wall convex, smooth with small, indistinct marginal pores. Aperture large, cleithridiate with large condyles. Oral spines indistinct, small, usually not well developed. Avicularia small, adventitious, situated on the frontal wall, with a pivotal bar. Ovicells globular, recumbent on the distal part of the autozooecium, with two short lateral fissures.  
R e m a r k s: The type shows slightly larger lateral fissures on the ovicell, all other features are identical. The specimens are also almost identical with the re-description of this species by Berning (2006), The only differences con-  
166 cern the preservation of the lateral fissures of the ovicells and oral spines, which are both less prominent in the studied material.
description: Published as part of ZÁGORŠEK, KAMIL, 2010, BRYOZOA FROM THE LANGHIAN (MIOCENE) OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC PART II: SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBORDER ASCOPHORA LEVINSEN, 1909 AND PALEOECOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE STUDIED PALEOENVIRONMENT, pp. 139-255 in Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae Series B 66 (3 - 4) on pages 139-255, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13344847