Nannotax3 - ntax_main - Reticulofenestra producta

Citation: Reticulofenestra producta Kamptner 1963 ex (Noël 1965) Ghidalia 1988

Taxonomic discussion: The name was invalid when originally described as the genus Ellipsoplacolithus was invalid, but it was subsequently validated as Actinosphaera producta Noel 1965, according to Loeblich & Tappan (1968).
The recombination Reticulofenestra producta was also proposed by Varol (1989) and Wei & Thierstein (1991) and these authorships have previously been used here, but the recombination by Ghidalia 1988 has priority.

Distinguishing features:
Parent taxon (R. bisecta group): Elliptical reticulofenestrids, central area closed by very robust, conspicuous distal ‘plug’ (birefringent).
This taxon: Small (<5µm) with closed central area

As noted by Wei & Thierstein (1991) this can be regarded as a smaller variant of R. perplexa. At high latitudes these morphotypes with closed central areas are often dominant. It is not clear if there is any value in separating them from forms with open central areas at low latitudes. Also discussed in Young 1990.

Geological Range:
Last occurrence (top): within Early Pleistocene Sub-Epoch (0.78-2.59Ma, top in Calabrian stage). Data source: original description
First occurrence (base): within Miocene Epoch (5.33-23.03Ma, base in Aquitanian stage). Data source: [JRY rough estimate]

References:

Backman, J. (1980). Miocene-Pliocene nannofossils and sedimentation rates in the Hatton-Rockall Basin, NE Atlantic Ocean. Stockholm Contributions in Geology. 36: 1-91. gs O

Bukry, D. (1975b). Coccolith and silicoflagellate stratigraphy, northwestern Pacific Ocean, Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 32. Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project. 32: 677-701. gs

de Kaenel, E. & Londeix, L. (2014). Données nouvelles sur la nannoflore de l’Aquitanien stratotypique. In, Londeix, L. (ed.) Stratotype Aquitanien. Collection Patrimoine géologique, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris . 5: 261-267. gs

de Kaenel, E. & Villa, G. (1996). Oligocene-Miocene calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy and paleoeecology from the Iberian Abyssal Plain. Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results. 149: 79-145. gs O

Fonseca, B. (1976). Coccolithus taganus, nouvelle espece de Coccolithopohride du Miocene de Lisbonne. Boletim de Sociedade Geologica de Portugal. 20: 29-32. gs

Ghidalia, M. -J. (1988). Les Gephyrocapsaceae (Coccolithophoridées) des coupes de Stuni et de Vrica, Italie, stratotype de la limite Plio-Pléistocène. Étude systématique et intérêt stratigraphique. Cahiers de Micropaléontologie. 3(1): 5-49. gs O

Kamptner, E. (1963). Coccolithineen-Skelettreste aus Tiefseeablagerungen des Pazifischen Ozeans. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. 66: 139-204. gs O

Loeblich, A. R. & Tappan, H. (1968). Annotated index and bibliography of the calcareous nannoplankton II. Journal of Paleontology. 42: 584-598. gs

Noël, D. (1965). Sur les Coccolithes du Jurassique Européen et d'Afrique du Nord. Essai de classification des coccolithes fossiles. Éditions du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris. 1-209. gs

Pujos, A. (1985). Cenozoic nannofossils, central equatorial Pacific, Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 85. Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project. 85: 581-607. gs

Shepherd, C. L. & Kulhanek, D. K. (2016). Eocene nannofossil biostratigraphy of the mid-Waipara River section, Canterbury Basin, New Zealand. Journal of Nannoplankton Research. 36(1): 33-59. gs O

Varol, O. (1989a). Calcareous nannofossil study of the central and western Solomon Islands. Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources Earth Sciences. 239-268. gs

Varol, O. (2025). A practical guide to optical studies of calcareous nannofossils. Grzybowski Foundation Special Publication. 29: 1-222. gs

Wei, W. & Thierstein, H. R. (1991). Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic calcareous nannofossils of the Kerguelen Plateau (Southern Indian ocean) and Prydz Bay (East Anatarctica). Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results. 119: 467-493. gs

Young, J. R. (1990). Size variation of Neogene Reticulofenestra coccoliths from Indian Ocean DSDP cores. Journal of Micropalaeontology. 9: 71-86. gs

Comments (1)

Ines(Croatia)

Hi Jeremy,

The SEM image of Varol is typical of the new species, broadly elliptical R. galovicorum (Ćorić et al., 2023), and we explained the difference from more elliptical R. producta in the aforementioned article; SEM image of R. producta was presented in Galović and Young (2012).

23 March 2026 15:02

Reticulofenestra producta

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