Pithonella sphaerica

sphaerica (Kaufmann in Heer, 1865, p.196, figs.104,106a-b) Zügel, 1994, p.17.  Holotype: not designated.  Originally Lagena (Appendix A), subsequently Stomiosphaera (combination not validly published), thirdly Palinosphaera (combination not validly published), fourthly (and now) Pithonella.  Taxonomic senior synonym: Lagena (now Pithonella) ovalis, according to Lorenz (1902, p.46) - however, Bonet (1956, p.450) retained Lagena (as Stomiosphaera) sphaerica.  Taxonomic junior synonym: Lagena orbulinaria, according to Bonet (1956, p.450).  This combination was not validly published in Villain (1977, p.147), Masters and Scott (1978, caption to pl.1, fig.3 - p.216), Bolli (1978a, p.822), Keupp (1987, p.52), Willems (1992, p.164), Kohring (1993a, p.95), and Monnet (1993, p.45), since these authors did not fully reference the basionym.  Villain (1977, p.147) included the prasinophyte name Pleurozonaria globulus Wetzel, 1933b in synonymy with this species, but apparently he did not intend to implicate the holotype of Pleurozonatia globulus.  Age: late Cenomanian-Turonian (based on later studies by Bolli - P. Hochuli, personal communication).

Parent: Pithonella