Montenegrella? gracilis n. sp., a new calcareous alga (Dasycladales) from the Upper Barremian of Mt. Biokovo (Dinarides Mts., Croatia)

Abstract

Montegrella? gracilis n.sp. (Dasycladales) is characterized by thick calcareous envelope and narrow central cavity. Bipartite branches are arranged alternately in consecutive whorls. The primaries are visibly differentiated into a thin, tendril-like stalk in the proximal part and a club-shaped or ellipsoidal inflated swelling in the distal part. The secondaries are poorly visible, of unclear shape and number, with a supposedly common starting point. On the type-locality, the alga occurs within a rich, typically Upper Barremian, algal assemblage. The validity of the genus Montenegrella, being disputed by BARATTOLO (1983), is commented upon by showing the generic attribution of the same or different species either to Suppiluliumaella or to Montenegrella by different authors.