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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Meier et al 2002 f2b.jpgCurrent identification/main database link: Calciodinellum levantinum Meier, Janofske, & Willems 2002
Compiled data
Original Description
Figure 2 gives the important morphological features of cyst and thecate stage of C. levantinum.
Description:
Cyst stage. The description is based on cysts from the sediment samples and from strain GeoB *165. The cysts are spherical with a diameter of 18.4 to 38.3 µm (mean, 25.7 µm; n =23). The archeopyle is always angular and matches the shape of other species of Calciodinellum, exactly reflecting plates 2'–4' and 1a–3a of the motile stage (Fig. 3, a–d). The size of the operculum is about one third that of the whole cyst (Fig. 3, d–f). The crystals forming the cyst wall are generally rhomboedric in shape but show a skeletal appearance, because they are often hollow (Fig. 3b). The single crystals are interlocked (Fig. 3b). The orientation of the crystallographic axes to the cyst wall is tangential (Fig. 2), which can only be seen in very thin-walled specimens or in thin sections. However, the morphologically longest axis of the crystals can be oriented radially to the cyst wall (Fig. 3f). Cysts from the sediment are often affected by diagenetic processes. The crystals may then appear as complete rhomboeders and the crystal edges can be rounded, which can even lead to a nearly smooth cyst surface. The wall is 1.5–2 µm thick and consists of a single calcareous layer of crystals. Cysts from cultures are often covered on both the outside and inside by a thin noncellulosic organic layer, which is considered to be a residue of the biomineralization process and not a separate organic cyst wall layer (Fig. 3, e–f). On the inside the cyst is smooth and the crystals show a polygonal outline and are interlocked. These interlocking elements and their rhomboedric shape are characteristics for the cysts in polarized light using a LM.
Thecate stage.
The description is based on thecae from strain GeoB *165. It was established by the isolation of one cyst, which germinated between the 14th and the 23rd day after isolation. Motile cells (Fig. 3, g–i) are 17.4 to 27.9 µm long and 15 to 26 µm wide (21.7 µm length by 20.2 µm width on average, n =8). The theca tabulation pattern is po, x, 4', 3a, 7'', 6c (t+5c), 6s, 5''', 2'''' (Figs. 2 and 3, g–i). The pore plate (po) is slightly elliptical with a small ridge running along its border. The canal plate (x) is narrow and pentagonal. The apical plates (1'–4') are irregularly polygonal. The intercalary plates 1a and 3a are pentagonal, whereas the 2a is hexagonal and relatively large. The precingular plates (1''–7'') are mostly pentagonal except for the 1'' and 4'', which are trapezoids. The cingular series consists of six plates divided into a small transitional plate (t) and five larger cingular plates (2c–6c). The borders between the cingular plates generally do not correspond with the borders between the preor postcingular plates. Exceptions are the border between 3c and 4c, which corresponds with the border of 3'' and 4'' and the border between 4c and 5c that corresponds to the 3''' and 4''' border. The sulcus is divided into six irregularly shaped plates. The four main plates are the anterior sulcal plate (as), the posterior sulcal plate (ps), the left sulcal plate (ls), and the right sulcal plate (rs). Additional plates are the anterior and posterior flagellar pore plates (af and pf), which are very small and generally overlapped by the rs. The postcingular series consists of five plates (1''''–5'''), which are mostly trapezoids, except for the 3''', which is pentagonal. The two antapical plates (1'''' and 2'''') are pentagonal and nearly identical in shape.
Size:
Etymology:
Extra details from original publication
Cysts of C. levantinum and cysts of Pernambugia tuberosa (Janofske and Karwath 2000) have often been confused in earlier studies as Sphaerodinella tuberosa (Table 3), due to the similar shape of the crystals forming the wall. Recent investigations on cultures showed that P. tuberosa has in fact an oblique orientation of the crystallographic c-axes and a large nonparatabulated archeopyle (Janofske and Karwath 2000). On the other hand, the now invalid genus Sphaerodinella Keupp et Versteegh (Streng et al. 2002) was originally described to have a radial orientation of the crystallographic c-axes (Keupp and Versteegh 1989). A tangential orientation of the crystallographic c-axes combined with a paratabulated archeopyle exactly reflecting 2'–4' and 1a–3a is typical for the genus Calciodinellum (Janofske and Karwath 2000). Therefore, the new species C. levantinum is established.
Meier, K. J. S., Janofske, D. & Willems, H. (2002). New calcareous dinoflagellates (Calciodinelloideae) from the Mediterranean Sea. Journal of Phycology. 38: 602-615. gsReferences:
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Calciodinellum levantinum: Catalog entry compiled by Jeremy Young. Viewed: 14-7-2025
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