C pelagicus coccospheres a

C pelagicus SEM

C pelagicus a

Coccolithus pelagicus with Cycloperfolithus carlae

C pelagicus proximal b

Set number: 381

  • Coccolithus pelagicus 27529 1
  • Coccolithus pelagicus 27532 2
  • Coccolithus pelagicus 27533 3
  • Coccolithus pelagicus 27527 4
  • Coccolithus pelagicus 27530 5
  • Coccolithus pelagicus 27531 6
  • Coccolithus pelagicus 27534 7
  • Coccolithus pelagicus 27528 8
    10µm
Coccolithus pelagicus, Middle Miocene, Malta
Final Epithet
Coccolithus pelagicus (Wallich, 1877) Schiller, 1930
Basionym

Coccosphaera pelagica Wallich, 1877

Synonyms

Ericsonia ovalis Black, 1964; elliptical with a large central opening; holotype: 7.4µm

Coccolithus litos Hay Mohler & Wade, 1966; elliptical with a narrow central opening; holotype: 9.5µm.

Coccolithus iugus Haq, 1969; elliptical with a large central opening; the calculated size of the holotype: 8.3µm

Ericsonia femurcentrum Perch-Nielsen, 1971c; elliptical with a narrow central opening; the calculated size of the holotype: 8.9µm.

Description

Medium to large size (4.0-10.0µm), elliptical species of Coccolithus Schwarz (1894) having a narrow central opening without any central structure.

Wallich (1877) gave a 2.8-25.4µm size range, but no holotype was designated.

Coccolithus pelagicus, together with Coccolithus crassipons, exit from low latitude waters in Calabrian [estimated ages of 1.8 Ma in Gabon and 1.49Ma in Santos Basin, Brazil].

References

Haq, B. U. 1969. The structure of Eocene coccoliths and discoasters from a Tertiary deep-sea core in the Central Pacific. Stockholm Contributions in Geology. 21(1): 1-19.

Perch-Nielsen, K. 1971c. Elektronenmikroskopische untersuchungen an Coccolithen und verwandten Formen aus dem Eozan von Danemark. Biologiske Skrifter, Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab. 18(3): 1-76.

Schiller, J. 1930. Coccolithineae. In, Rabenhorst, L. (ed.) - Kryptogamen-Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig 89-267.

Schwarz, E. H. L. 1894. Coccoliths. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 14: 341-346.

Wallich, G. C. 1877. Observations on the coccosphere. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 19: 342-350.

Hay, W. W., Mohler, H. P. & Wade, M. E. 1966. Calcareous nannofossils from Nal'chik (northwest Caucasus). Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae 59: 379-399.

Black, M. 1964. Cretaceous and Tertiary coccoliths from Atlantic seamounts. Palaeontology 7: 306-316.