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Glaphyrocysta

From Williams et al., 2017:

[Glaphyrocysta, Stover and Evitt, 1978, p. 49-50; Emendation: Fensome et al., 2009, p. 32.

Type species: originally as Cyclonephelium retiintextum, Cookson, 1965a (pl.11, fig.4)] ; Glaphyrocysta retiintexta, Stover and Evitt, 1978

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Original description: [Stover and Evitt, 1978]:

Synopsis:
Cyst skolochorate, body lenticular with several annulate to arcuate penitabular process complexes; most complexes joined to one another distally by a simple to intricate system of trabeculae; midventral and middorsal areas typically process-free or with reduced processes; archeopyle apical, Type (tA); parasulcal notch offset.

Description:
Shape: Body lenticular.
Wall relationships: Body and process complexes formed by autophragm; ectophragm consists of trabeculae.
Wall features: No parasutural features. Processes occur as annulate to arcuate penitabular complexes, each with a few to may simple or branched stalks. Processes complexes not always clearly delimited, and occasional isolated individual processes may be present. Trabeculae between adjacent complexes and within complexes simple (slender, smooth, straight or arched, ribbonlike strands, with or without denticles or short spines) to complicated (anastomosing strands, fenestrate patches). Process complexes typically reduced in size or absent in midventral and middorsal areas; autophragm smooth to finely ornamented, may be fibrous.
Paratabulation: Indicated by archeopyle and less definitively by process complexes; clarity of paratabulation varies considerably among species from fairly well expressed to virtually indistinguishable, depending on how sharply individual process complexes are separated. Precingular paraplates almost always discernible.
Archeopyle: Apical, Type (tA); principal archeopyle suture zigzag; operculum free; parasulcal notch offset.
Paracingulum: Not clearly indicated, or expressed mainly on the dorsal and lateral surfaces by a gap between precingular and postcingular process complexes, or by few slender complexes (usually three or four).
Parasulcus: Not expressed per se; represented within usually featureless midventral area; position of apical end indicated by parasulcal notch.
Size: Intermediate to large.

Affinities:
Glaphyrocysta differs from Cyclonephelium in having longer and generally fewer projections, which are always connected distally by a trabecular ectophragm. In Cyclonephelium, the projections are typically short (rarely processes per se) and numerous, and the ectophragm is non-trabecular. The new genus differs from Adnatosphaeridium, which also has processes connected distally by trabeculae, in having a lenticular rather than a subspherical body and usually more complex processes.

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Emended description:


Fensome et al., 2009:

Diagnosis:
Areoligeracean cysts that are proximochorate to chorate, with a compressed central body, rounded to lenticular in outline with a generally asymmetrical to rounded antapex. Acavate. Processes solid, cylindrical or taeniate, generally marginate, free or connected above their base (but not distinctly connected basally) in apparently nontabular fashion or roughly into contabular to penicontabular complexes; processes variable but not clypeate, dolabrate or licrate.
Archaeopyle apical, with formula A(1-4’), operculum free; sulcal notch offset to the left.

Remarks:
The above emended diagnosis can also serve as a synopsis. Glaphyrocysta differs from Areoligera in lacking soleate or annulate complexes with distinct basal ridges. Cyclonephelium has short, generally simple processes (spines, etc) or ridges. Adnatosphaeridium, Emmetrocysta and Hystrichosphaerina do not have a marginate distribution of processes, although in some variants of species of Glaphyrocysta, the marginate distribution may be only weakly developed. In erecting Glaphyrocysta, Stover & Evitt (1978) emphasised distal connections and processes arranged in complexes but included without question species that show only one or neither of these features: in the emendation above, we de-emphasise these aspects. We also expressly exclude forms with clypeate, dolabrate and licrate processes: such forms can also have a distinctive marginate distribution of processes and so resemble Glaphyrocysta, but should be assigned to Enneadocysta and Licracysta. See also Remarks under Cleistosphaeridium.


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Notes:

G.L. Williams short notes on species, Mesozoic-Cenozoic dinocyst course, Urbino, Italy, May 17-22, 1999 - LPP VIEWER CD-ROM 99.5.

Glaphyrocysta Stover and Evitt, 1976. According to Stover and Evitt (1978), is skolochorate, with a lenticular central body bearing several annulate to arcuate penitabular process complexes. Most complexes are united distally by a simple to intricate system of trabeculae; Midventral and middorsal areas typically process-free or with reduced processes. Archeopyle apical, type (tA), parasulcal notch offset.
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