Nannotax3 - ntax_main - Syracosphaera

Nannotax3 - ntax_main - Syracosphaera Nannotax3 - ntax_main - Syracosphaera

Syracosphaera

Classification: ntax_main -> Syracosphaerales -> Syracosphaeraceae -> Syracosphaera
Sister taxa: Syracosphaera, Calciopappus, Michaelsarsia, Ophiaster

Daughter taxa (time control age-window is: 0-800Ma)		Granddaughter taxa
	SY pulchra gp BCs - with distal, mid-wall and basal flanges (except S. noroitica type), and/or with low spines (except S. pulchra and S. dilatata type). XCs - dome-shaped or muroliths. CFCs - usually spine-bearing with bifurcate spine-tip.	dilatata type noroitica type prolongata type pulchra type
	SY molischii gp BCs placolith-like (i.e. with proximal and distal flanges), often with ridges and irregular central area calcification, no spines. XCs variable.	borealis type halldalii type molischii type rotula type
	SY nodosa gp BCs muroliths, without distinct inner wall cycle; laths rather broad. XCs planoliths.	anthos type lamina type nodosa type bannockii type laminated type
	SY mediterranea group BCs muroliths with imbricate wall, bipartite axial structure. No XCs (formerly Coronosphaera)	Syracosphaera mediterranea Syracosphaera maxima Syracosphaera sp. Y
	Syraco - fossil FossilSyracosphaera coccoliths	Syracosphaera croatica Coronosphaera caputiae Syracosphaera clathrata Syracosphaera fragilis Syracosphaera horvati Syracosphaera oneillii Syracosphaera franzii Syracosphaera monechiae Syracosphaera octiforma Syracosphaera raffiae Syracosphaera tanzanensis Syracosphaera antiqua Syracosphaera repagula Syraco sp. fossil
	Syracosphaera sp. Specimens which cannot be assigned to established species

Taxonomy:

Citation: Syracosphaera Lohmann 1902

Taxonomic rank: genus

Type species: Syracosphaera pulchra Lohmann, 1902

Taxonomic discussion: Syracosphaera is a large genus and there are some clear sub-groups within it as reflected in the table above, which follows the work of Cros (2000), Young et al. (2003) and Kleijne & Cros (2009). Nonetheless, there are several reasons for keeping it as a single genus.

To date molecular genetic data is only available for S. pulchra, but much more data will almost certainly appear in the medium term. This will lead to considerable reassessment of taxonomy within the Syracosphaeraceae.
Life cycle combinations are to date only known for a small subset of Syracosphaera species and each additional life-cycle combination will have potential taxonomic consequences. These will be much more complex if multiple genera are used.
When using light microscopy it is often only possible to identify Syracosphaera specimens to generic level. Likewise in the fossil record isolated body coccoliths are very dificult to assign to even the larger groupings of Syracosphaera species.

So, in the interest of practical taxonomy, and to avoid nomenclatural instability, we strongly reccommend that nomenclatural changes are not made at least until there is a significant body of reliable molecular genetic and life-cycle data.
In this context, Aubry (2009) recombined many species into Deutschlandia on the basis of putative similarities of exothecal coccolith form. This reclassification is not followed here. Nonetheless, it should be noted that the combinations proposed are valid and would need to be heeded in any other reclassification of the genus.

Synonyms:
NB Caneosphaera and Deutschlandia are usually considered synonyms of Syracosphaera following Jordan & Young (1990). Gaarderia was recombined in Syracosphaera by Young et al. (2003) on the grounds that it showed too few unique features to be regarded as a separate genus. Anthosphaera, Periphyllophora, Poricalyptra, Syracolithus, and Zygosphaera were genera based on holococcoliths which are now known to formed by Syracosphaera species.

Syracosphaera * Lohmann 1902
Deutschlandia * Lohmann 1912 [type species S. anthos]
Heimiella * Lohmann 1912 [synonym according to Lomann 1919 who transfered the type species H. excentrica to Syracosphaera]
Anthosphaera Kamptner 1936 [type species is A. fragaria now known to be haploid stage of S. molischii]
Periphyllophora * Kamptner 1936 [type species is P. mirabilis now known to be haploid stage of S. anthos]
Zygosphaera * Kamptner 1936 [type species Z. hellenica Kamptner 1937 (designated by Loeblich & Tappan 1963)]
Syracosphaera (Syracolithus) * Kamptner 1941 [type species S. dalmaticus Kamptner 927] =Syracolithus (Kamptner 1941) Deflandre, in Grassé 1952 [type species S. dalmaticus Kamptner 927]
Syracorhabdus * Lecal & Bernheim 1960 [invalid, as type species not designated - Loeblich & Tappan 1966]
Caneosphaera * Gaarder, in Gaarder & Heimdal 1977 [type species S. halldallii]
Coronosphaera * Gaarder, in Gaarder & Heimdal 1977 [type species S. mediterranea Lohmann 1920]
Laminolithus * Heimdal, in Heimdal & Gaarder 1980 [the type of Laminolithus is Zygosphaera hellenica which is now known to be a life-cycle phase of Coronosphaera mediterranea]
Alveosphaera * Jordan & Young 1990
Poricalyptra Kleijne 1991 [type species is P. aurisinae now recombined as S. aurisinae since it forms combination coccospheres with "S. lamina"]
Gaarderia * Kleijne 1993 [type species S. corolla]

Distinguishing features:
Parent taxon (Syracosphaeraceae): BCs muroliths or placoliths with radial laths and axial structure, ofen with higlhy modified exothecal coccoliths
This taxon: Coccospheres usually dithecate. Exothecal coccoliths (XCs) highly variable. Endothecal coccoliths are muroliths with 1, 2 or 3 flanges, the forms with 2 flanges are often placolith-like.

Morphology:

Coccospheres usually dithecate, Exothecal coccoliths (XCs) highly variable. Endothecal coccoliths are muroliths with 1, 2 or 3 flanges, (the forms with 2 flanges are often placolith-like), these are often differentiated into body coccoliths (BCs), circum-flagellar coccoliths (CFCs) and antapical coccoliths (AACs).
Exothecal coccolith structure: As argued by Inouye & Pienaar (1988), Cros (2000) and Young et al. (2004), exothecal coccoliths appear to be modified versions of the endothecal coccoliths, and are composed of the same set of components - rim, radial lath cycle and axial structure. However, the morphology of the coccoliths is highly variable and often radically different to that of the body coccoliths.

Biology & life-cycles

Several species are known to have holococcolith stages - including S. pulchra, S. anthos, S. bannockii, S.histrica and S. halldali.

Search data:

Lith size: 1->8µm; Coccosphere size: 3->70µm;

The morphological data given here can be used on the advanced search page. See also these notes

Geological Range:
Notes: About 60 modern species of Syracosphaera are known (Young et al. 2003) and their coccolith morphology is well established (see examples above). Syracosphaera coccoliths are not common in the fossil record even in the Holocene and heir small size means both that the havea low preservation potential and that identification of them requires SEM study. Consequently their fossil record is still very poorly known and it is not clear whether the modern diversity is a result of a recent radiation. Most Pleistocene specimens of Syracosphaera can be assigned to modern taxa, e.g. S. pulchra, S. mediterranea and S. aurisinae (= S. lamina). In older sediments Syracosphaera specimens are typically even rarer and often appear to belong to different species.
Last occurrence (top): Extant. Data source: Total of ranges of the species in this database
First occurrence (base): within Turonian Stage (89.39-93.90Ma, base in Turonian stage). Data source: Total of ranges of species in this database

Plot of occurrence data:

Range-bar - range as quoted above, pink interval top occurs in, green interval base occurs in.
Triangles indicate an event for which a precise placement has been suggested.
See also:

Parent: Syracosphaeraceae

References:

Aubry, M. -P. (2009). A sea of Lilliputians. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology. 284: 88-113. gs

Cros, L. (2000). Variety of exothecal coccoliths of Syracosphaera. Journal of Nannoplankton Research. 22(1): 41-51. gs

Gaarder, K. R. & Heimdal, B. R. (1977). A revision of the genus Syracosphaera Lohmann (Coccolithineae). “Meteor” Forschungsergebnisse. 24: 54-71. gs O

Heimdal, B. R. & Gaarder, K. R. (1980). Coccolithophorids from the northern part of the eastern central Atlantic I. Holococcolithophorids. “Meteor” Forschungsergebnisse. 32: 1-14. gs

Jordan, R. W. & Young, J. R. (1990). Proposed changes to the classification system of living Coccolithophorids. INA Newsletter. 12(1): 15-18. gs

Kamptner, E. (1936). Über die Coccolithineen der Südwestküste von Istrien. Anzeiger der (Kaiserlichen) Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien. 73: 243-247. gs

Kamptner, E. (1941). Die Coccolithineen der Südwestküste von Istrien. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. 51: 54-149. gs O

Kleijne, A. & Cros, L. (2009). Ten new extant species of the coccolithophore Syracosphaera and a revised classification scheme for the genus. Micropaleontology. 55(5): 425-462. gs

Kleijne, A. (1991). Holococcolithophorids from the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. Marine Micropaleontology. 17: 1-76. gs

Kleijne, A. (1993b). Morphology, Taxonomy and distribution of extant coccolithophorids (Calcareous nannoplankton). PhD Thesis, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. 1-321. gs

Lecal, J. & Bernheim, A. (1960). Microstructure du squelette de quelques Coccolithophorides. Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de l'Afrique du Nord. 51: 273-297. gs

Loeblich, A. R. & Tappan, H. (1966). Annotated index and bibliography of the calcareous nannoplankton. Phycologia. 5: 81-216. gs

Lohmann, H. (1902). Die Coccolithophoridae, eine Monographie der Coccolithen bildenden Flagellaten, zugleich ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis des Mittelmeerauftriebs. Archiv für Protistenkunde. 1: 89-165. gs O

Lohmann, H. (1912). Untersuchungen über das Pflanzen- und Tierleben der Hochsee, zugleich ein Bericht über die biologischen Arbeiten auf der Fahrt der "Deutschland" von Bremerhaven nach Buenos-Aires in der Zeit vom 7. Mai bis 7. September 1911. Veröffentlichungen des Instituts für Meereskunde an der Universität Berlin. 1: 1-92. gs

Young, J. R., Geisen, M., Cros, L., Kleijne, A., Probert, I. & Ostergaard, J. B. (2003). A guide to extant coccolithophore taxonomy. Journal of Nannoplankton Research. S1: 1-132. gs

Syracosphaera compiled by Jeremy R. Young, Paul R. Bown, Jacqueline A. Lees viewed: 16-8-2026

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