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Per Ahlberg

Per Ahlberg

Professor emeritus

Per Ahlberg

Insights into the morphology of Sphenothallus (Cnidaria): new features identified in an old genus from the Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian, Bashkirian) of western Ireland

Author

  • Eamon Doyle
  • Per Ahlberg
  • David Harper

Summary, in English

The recent discovery of well-preserved fragments of Sphenothallus in the Central Clare Group (Pennsylvanian) of western Ireland provides new insights into the morphology of this enigmatic, putative cnidarian. The specimens demonstrate a morphological plasticity, including features not previously described for Sphenothallus, such as the presence of flat sides and angular lateral margins, non-bilateral symmetry in sigmoidal cross-sections suggestive of growth torsion, and a new type of bifurcating branching (new term ‘railtrack junction branching’ introduced herein), not related to known budding. We propose that these structures were all growth-related features during life, and not post-mortem
artefacts of collapse or compaction. The flat sides and growth torsion are compared with similar features in conulariids, supporting the previously proposed phylogenetic linkage between the two groups, which may be an example of atavism. However, the bifurcating ‘railtrack junction branching’ is unknown in conulariids or

Department/s

  • Department of Geology

Publishing year

2024-08-21

Language

English

Pages

237-247

Publication/Series

Irish Journal of Earth Sciences

Volume

42

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Royal Irish Academy

Topic

  • Geology

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0790-1763