Coccosphaera pelagica Wallich 1877
Cyatolithus Huxley, 1868 [petition was submitted to suppress Cyatolithus in favour of Coccolithus by Braarud et al., 1964, pending]
Coccosphaera Wallich, 1877
Cyathosphaera Haeckel, 1894
Coccolithophora Lohmann, 1902
Crystallolithus Gaarder & Markali, 1957 [holococcolith phase]
Ericsonia Black, 1964
Elliptical to circular placolith having a tube cycle, single distal and double-cycle proximal shields. The tube cycle and proximal shield are birefringent.
Size dependant elliptical species of Coccolithus
Coccolithus paralitos <4.0µm
Coccolithus pelagicus 4.00-10.0µm
Coccolithus crassus 10.0 - 13.0µm
Coccolithus cf. miopelagicus 13.0 - 14.0µm
Coccolithus miopelagicus >14.0µm [having relatively small central area]
Coccolithus eopelagicus >14.0µm [having a relatively large central area]
In the plan view, Coccolithus includes circular to elliptical placoliths with a single-tiered distal shield exhibiting constant extinction, indicating a vertical optic axis relative to the microscope stage. The proximal shield is double-tiered and narrower. The single tube cycle displays an inclined extinction with length-fast (-) elongation and may or may not protrude distally.
The extinction lines on the distal side are laevogyre, while on the proximal side, they are dextrogyre.
In the side view, the concave-convex distal shield and the upper tier of the proximal shield exhibit parallel extinction with length-slow (+) elongation.
Coccolithus differs from Chontriemfanisi by having well-separated distal and proximal shields, with the latter exhibiting an appressed lenticular shape. Additionally, the extinction lines on the tube cycle in Chontriemfanisi are parallel (straight), whereas in Coccolithus, they are inclined and laevogyre distally.
Black, M. 1964. Cretaceous and Tertiary coccoliths from Atlantic seamounts. Palaeontology 7: 306-316.
Gaarder, K. R., Markali, J. 1956. On the coccolithophorid Crystallolithus hyalinus n. gen, n. sp. Nytt Magasin for Botanikk. 5 1-5.
Haeckel, E. 1894. Systematische Phylogenie der Protisten und Pflanzen. Reimer, Berlin.
Huxley, T. H. 1868. On some organisms living at great depths in the North Atlantic Ocean. Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science. 8: 203-212.
Lohmann, H. 1902. Die Coccolithophoridae, eine Monographie der Coccolithen bildenden Flagellaten, zugleich ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis des Mittelmeerauftriebs. Archiv für Protistenkunde. 1: 89-165.
Schwarz, E. H. L. 1894. Coccoliths. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 14: 341-346.
Braarud, T., Bramlette, M.N., Deflandre, G., Kamptner, E., Loeblich, Jr., A.R., Martini, E., & Tappan, H. 1964. Rhabdosphaera Haeckel, 1894 (Coccolithophorida): proposed validation under the plenary powers and designation of a lectotype for Coccolithus oceanicus Schwarz, 1894. Z.N. (S.) 1658. Bull. Zool. Nomencl., 21: 397-400
Wallich, G. C. 1877. Observations on the coccosphere. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 19: 342-350.