Original descriptions of taxa. For coccolithophores, and many calcispheres, these are pages from the Farinacci & Howe Catalog of Calcareous Nannofossils. In other cases (e.g. non-calcifying haptophytes) the data is directly compiled on this site. The "Catalogue of Calcareous Nannofossils" was originally compiled by Prof A. Farinacci 1969-1989, since 2000 it has been updated and extended by Richard Howe - see The Farinacci and Howe Catalog - an Introduction.
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Original Description Spherical to elongate obliquipithonelloid dinoflagellate cysts. Except for the archaeopyle no tabulation is indicated. The surface layer of the cyst shows a pattern of areas (called "unidirectional areas") in which all calcite crystals have the same orientation. The crystal orientation is different for each area. Below the cyst surface the cyst wall consists of randomly arranged calcite crystals. Etymology: Greek, pseudo, false. With
reference to the orientation of the surface crystals. Extra details from original publication Comparison: In contrast to the Cretaceous Pithonelloideae, which display only one unidirectional area (the complete cyst), the cyst surface of this new genus shows at least two of these areas. It differs from other Obliquipithonelloid genera in having the crystals on the cyst surface arranged in areas with identical orientation rather than a irregular or random crystal arrangement.
References:
Versteegh, G. J. M. (1993). New Pliocene and Pleistocene calcareous dinoflagellate cysts from Southern Italy and Crete. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 78: 353-380. gs
Pseudopithonella: Catalog entry compiled by <% compiler %>. Viewed: 14-6-2025
