1. INTRODUCTION The sample of algal limestone, containing, among other species, also numerous sections of the species described herein, had been collected more than 20 years ago by Pavao MamuæiÊ and Boπko Korolija. They were involved in geological mapping of the area around Pri- moπten and devoted their particular attention to Upper Cretaceous deposits. The first samples were collected from a partly investigated cross-section of platy lime- stones near the gas station at the entrance to Primoπten. Later the same locality was revisited and more samples collected, which contained enough sections for the new dasyclad species to be described, in addition to the ear- lier established Uragiella matzi SOKA» & VELI∆. Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. (Dasycladales) from Upper Cretaceous Limestone of the Environs of Primoπten (Dalmatia, Croatia) Branko SOKA» 2. SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTION Order Dasycladales Tribe Salpingoporellae BASSOULLET et al., 1979 Genus Salpingoporella PIA, 1918 Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. Plates I-III ?1995 Salpingoporella ubaiydhi RADOI»I∆.- OKLA, p. 479, fig. 3/8. Origin of name: The species is dedicated to the memory of the late Donata NEDÉLA-DEVIDÉ who was the teacher of geological mapping for many genera- tions of geology students at the Faculty of Science, Uni- versity of Zagreb. T y p e - l o c a l i t y : Outcrop of platy limestone in the road cutting near the gas station at the entry to Primo- πten, 43°35’17”N, 15°54’08”E (Fig. 1). Type stratum: Very well-bedded, light brown to brown platy limestones, algal-peloidal packstone to grainstone, which, in addition to calcite cement, also contains some matrix recrystallized into microsparite. The sediment was deposited in a shallow subtidal low energy environment. A Lower Coniacian to Campanian age is based on superposition. H o l o t y p e : Tangential-longitudinal-oblique section figured in Pl. I, Fig. 2, in thin section labelled PR-79- 1/37. Paratypes are other, variously oriented, sections figured in Pls. I-III. The material is stored at the Insti- tute of Geology in Zagreb. D i a g n o s i s : The new species includes the general characteristics of the genus S a l p i n g o p o r e l l a . The speci- es-specific feature is the wavy (humpy) shape of the pri- mary branches, which are arranged in densely packed whorls. The branches are widened at their distal end and circular or slightly depressed in cross sections. Dimensions in mm: See Table 1. D e s c r i p t i o n : The alga has a slender, cylindrical skeleton with a comparatively narrow central cavity and occasionally a more or less curved thallus (Pl. I, Fig. 1; Pl. II, Fig. 4). The inner surface (wall of the axial cavi- ty) is even and uninterrupted, clearly and sharply delin- G EOL. CROAT. 53/1 199 - 207 1 Fig. 1 Tab. 3 Pls. ZAGREB 2000 Key words: Calcareous alga (Dasycladales), Upper Cretaceous, Dalmatia, Croatia. Institute of Geology, Sachsova 2, P.O.Box 268, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Abstract A new species of the dasyclad genus S a l p i n g o p o r e l l a , S. dona - t a e, is characterized by wavy primary ramifications, which makes it easily distinguishable from other species of the genus. It derives from platy algal pelletal packstones and grainstones from the Lower Conia- cian to Campanian deposits of the environs of Primoπten, Dalmatia. Uragiella matzi SOKA» & VELI∆ has already been described from the same deposits. 200 Geologia Croatica 53/1 material (Pl. II, Figs. 3-4) as a result of distally funnel- shaped (widened) branches and the destruction of the outer surface. The inner cavity occupies, on average, 25-30% of the outer thallus diameter. Simple primary branches are arranged in clearly defined and compara- tively densely packed whorls. There are 14-18 branches per whorl, usually slightly inclined upwards (Pl. I, Figs. 2-3 and 8), though, in some specimens, branches may be inclined both upwards and downwards (Pl. I, Fig. 4). The most characteristic feature of the primary branches is their single or multiple bending resulting in their wavy shape (Pl. I, Figs. 2-3; Pl. III, Fig. 12), or their changing diameter - slight swellings and narrowings - resulting in their humpy shape (Pl. II, Fig. 5; Pl. III, Figs. 10 and 13). In some specimens, the branches are in their proximal parts inclined downwards, whereas distally they are directed upwards, which gives them a knee-bend shape (Pl. III, Fig. 11). Some specimens show a slight swelling in the proximal part of branches, near to the wall of the axial cavity, which results in an elliptical or bladder-shaped widening, as shown in the sections illustrated in Pl. III, Figs. 2, 4 and 11. In con- secutive whorls, the branches are arranged in an alter- nating position, though such an arrangement in deeper tangential sections becomes less clear, due to dense packing, and appears irregular, so that only in shallow tangential (cortical) sections does the alternate arrange- ment becomes clear (Pl. I, Figs. 2, 4 and 6; Pl. III, Figs. 1 and 6). At their distal ends, the branches are funnel- shaped (phloiophorous branches) and often more or less vertically compressed, i.e. elongated along a plane per- pendicular to the growth direction of the thallus. There- fore, in vertical sections the pores appear circular (Pl. I, Figs. 1-2 and 6; Pl. II, Figs. 5-7), or, if depressed, ellip- tical in outline (Pl. III, Figs. 1 and 6-7). Similarities and differences: S a l p i n g o p o r e l l a d o n a t a e n. sp. belongs to that group of the S a l p i n g o - porella-species which is characterised by a narrow cen- tral cavity and more or less circular pores in tangential sections of their distal ends. S. adriatica (GU©I∆) also has a narrow central cavity and clearly phloiophorous branches (DE CASTRO & DE ROSA, 1977) but S . d o n a t a e is smaller and has more slender, more irregu- Holotype Most frequent % Maximum observed length of thallus L 10.70 5.00 _ Outer diameter D 0.74-1.52 0.96 0.90-1.10 (60%) Inner diameter d 0.17-0.34 0.22 0.20-0.30 (91%) d/D ratio 0.161-0.304 0.228 0.250-0.300 (56%) Distance between whorls h 0.09-0.20 0.095 0.09-0.20 (72%) Maximum diameter of branches p 0.06-0.14 0.08 0.08-0.10 (68%) Length of branches l 0.21-0.51 0.46 0.35-0.45 (56%) Number of branches per whorl w 14-18 Table 1 Dimensions of Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. (in mm). Measurements were made on 30 specimens. Fig. 1 The type locality of Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. eated, and perforated by entrance pores of the branches. The outer surface, originally probably smooth or even slightly bulging, becomes finely indented in fossil larly shaped and frequently upwards directed branches. S. pygmaea (GÜMBEL) PIA has about the same dimensions, but its branches gradually and uniformly widen from their proximal to their distal ends, whereas in S. donatae n.sp. the branches are wavy, more irregu- larly shaped, and funnel-shaped only at their distal ends. With regard to two small-sized species, S. istriana (GU©I∆) and S. johnsoni (DRAGASTAN), S. donatae n. sp. differs in having different values of individual parameters and differently shaped branches and in being somewhat larger (this being particularly clear with regard to S. johnsoni). Similar differences also exist with regard to the equally small-sized S. verticilla - t a (SOKA» & NIKLER), in which, however, the cen- tral cavity is somewhat wider and with an uneven wall and the branches are more steeply directed upwards and only distally inclined downwards. With regard to S . t u r g i d a (RADOI»I∆), the new species is considerably smaller, has a narrower central cavity and, consequent- ly, a different d/D ratio. The Lower Cretaceous S . p i r i n i a e KARAS & RADOI»I∆, though being some- what smaller, is visually similar but has differently shaped branches. The two species with a similar strati- graphic position, S. milovanovici RADOI»I∆ and S . p o l s a k i SOKA» & JELASKA are, in general, smaller and have differently shaped branches giving differently shaped pores in tangential sections. A more detailed comparison, however, with the contemporaneous S . ubaiydhi RADOI»I∆ is needed. The latter is, indeed, 2- 3 times smaller but has similar values of individual parameters (with a slightly larger d/D ratio). The most important difference between the two species concerns the shape of the branches, which, in S. ubaiydhi, have a short stalk and then widen uniformly or, sometimes, acquire a bellows-like shape (RADOI»I∆, 1979, pl. I, figs. 3-4; pl. II, figs. 1, 3), and are situated more or less perpendicular to the growth axis. Moreover, in S. ubaiy - dhi the branches in consecutive whorls are not arranged in an alternating position, which is clearly visible in outer tangential sections in S. donatae , particularly in specimens with elliptically elongated pores. Another stratigraphically similar species, S. arumaensis O K L A , is considerably larger, has short, funnel-shaped and per- pendicularly arranged branches - as distinct from the longer, slimmer, and irregular branches in S. donatae - and has a much broader central cavity which may occu- py up to 50% of the outer diameter. Other S a l p i n g o - p o r e l l a -species may also show similar values of some parameters (see SOKA», 1996), but the main character- istic feature of S. donatae n. sp. - wavy, irregular, and/or bent branches - makes it clearly distinguishable from all other Salpingoporella -species. Stratigraphic position: Salpingoporella donatae n. sp. was first observed, in a smaller number of sec- tions, in the same sample which yielded the earlier described Uragiella matzi SOKA» & VELI∆, for whi- ch the stratigraphic position was stated as Upper Turon- i an -Lower Coniacian. In the samples from the investi- gated locality no significant fossils have been found, and consequently their stratigraphic position is based on superposition. Repeated collecting at the same outcrop yielded numerous sections of S. donatae ( w h i c h enabled the above description), accompanied also by not so abundant sections of S. ubaiydhi. This allows for a possibly broader stratigraphic range than previously considered. In the original description of S. ubaiydhi, RADOI»I∆ (1979) reports its finding from the bottom of the well, from an interval for which a Campanian, possibly Uppermost Santonian, age has been ascribed. In the text of the more detailed description of the well stratigraphy, for the lower part KH-1/7 it is said that it is represented by sediments of partly Santonian? and also possibly Coniacian age, lying at the top of the for- mation that may be of Upper Turonian and Coniacian age. OKLA (1995), in the description of S. arumaensis , also gives some illustrations of S. ubaiydhi ( O K L A , 1995, figs. 3/7-3/9), among which there is one section (OKLA, 1995, fig. 3/8) which possibly belongs to S . d o n a t a e . It should be mentioned, admittedly, that the section in question is not completely clear, but it never- theless shows some obvious differences with regard to the remaining two sections labelled S. ubaiydhi. The occurrence of S. ubaiydhi associated with S. donatae and Uragiella matzi at the Primoπten locality and the joint occurrence of S. ubaiydhi, S. arumaensis and pos- sibly S. donatae at the top of the Hajajok Member (part of the Azuma Formation, central Saudi Arabia), to which the range Campanian -Maastrichtian is ascribed, suggests a broader range of their occurrence, covering a Coniacian - Lower Maastrichtian time span. Acknowledgements I am grateful to my colleagues Pavao MAMUÆI∆ and Boπko KOROLIJA, who placed their samples at my disposal and thus initiated further research of the Primoπten algal assemblage. I am also grateful to my co-worker of longstanding and co-author of the first paper on those algae, Ivo VELI∆, who later collected more samples and thus enabled the present study. Final- ly, I am grateful to the reviewers, Ivan GU©I∆, Felix SCHLAGINTWEIT and Jean-Pierre MASSE, who gave useful suggestions that improved the present paper. 3. REFERENCES BASSOULLET, J.P., BERNIER, P., CONRAD, M.A., DELOFFRE, R. & JAFFREZO, M. (1978): Les Algues Dasycladacées du Jurassique et du Crétacé.- Géobios, Mém. spéc., 2, 1-330, Villeurbanne. DE CASTRO, P. & DE ROSA, C. (1977): Osservazioni su Salpingoporella adriatica (GU©I∆, 1966).- Boll. Soc. Natur. Napoli, 86 (1977), 39 p., Napoli. 201SokaË: Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. (Dasycladales) from Upper Cretaceous... 202 Geologia Croatica 53/1 DRAGASTAN, O. (1971): New algae in the Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous in the Bicaz Valley (East Carpathians) Romania.- Rev. espan. Micropal., 3, 155-192. GU©I∆, I. (1966): Two new Dasyclad species of the subgenus P i a n e l l a from Lower Cretaceous of Ist- ria.- Geol. vjesnik, 19, 35-46. KARAS, N. & RADOI»I∆, R. (1991): Salpingoporella p i r i n i a e n. sp. iz barema karbonatne platforme Par- nasa (kontinentalna GrËka).- Geol. an. Balk. polu- ost., 55/1, 163-173, Beograd. OKLA, M.S. (1995): Late Cretaceous Dasycladales from the Aruma Formation in central Saudi Arabia.- N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Mh., 1995, H. 8, 475-487, Stuttgart. RADOI»I∆, R. (1965): Pianella turgida n.sp. from the Cenomanian of the Outer Dinarids.- Geol. vjesnik, 18, 195-199, Zagreb. RADOI»I∆, R. (1978): Salpingoporella milovanovici n.sp. a new Dasyclad from the Cenomanian strata of the Dinarides and a note on the Foraminifer N u m - moloculina sp. (aff. regularis PHILIPPSON).- Geol. an. Balk. poluost., 42, 375-381, Beograd. RADOI»I∆, R. (1979): Salpingoporella ubaiydhi , a new Senonian Dasyclad and some data about sub- surface biostratigraphy of the western Iraqi desert.- Bulletin Acad. Serbe Sci. Arts, Classe Sci. mathé- mat. natur., 68/19, 97-105, Beograd. SOKA», B. (1996): Taxonomic review of some Barre- mian and Aptian calcareous algae (Dasycladales) from the Dinaric and Adriatic karst regions of Croa- tia.- Geol. Croatica, 49/1, 1-79, Zagreb. SOKA», B. & JELASKA, V. (1991): S a l p i n g o p o r e l l a p o l s a k i n. sp. (Calcareous Algae, Dasycladaceae) from the Cenomanian deposits of the Island of Br- aË.- Geol. vjesnik, 44, 1-7, Zagreb. SOKA», B. & NIKLER, L. (1973): Calcareous algae from the Lower Cretaceous of the environs of Nik- πiÊ, Crna Gora (Montenegro).- Palaeont. jugoslav., 13, 57 p., Zagreb. SOKA», B. & VELI∆, I. (1983): Uragiella matzi n.sp. (Dasycladaceae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Pri- moπten.- Geol. vjesnik, 36, 91-94. Manuscript received November 29, 1999. Revised manuscript accepted May 19, 2000. PLATE I 1-9 Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. 1 Oblique-tangential section, slide PR-79-1/70, x17. 2 Tangential-oblique section, Holotype, slide PR-79-1/37, x22. 3 Oblique section, slide PR-79-1/27, x22. 4 Oblique section, slide PR-79-1/36, x22. 5 Tangential-longitudinal -section, slide PR-79-1/24, x22. 6 Oblique section, slide PR-79-1/34, x22. 7 Cross section, slide PR-79-1/33, x22. 8 Oblique section, slide PR-79-1/40, x14. 9 Tangential-slightly oblique section, slide PR-79-1/30, x22. Age and location: Lower Coniacian - Campanian, Primoπten (Dalmatia, Croatia). 203SokaË PLATE I 204 Geologia Croatica 53/1 PLATE II 1-10 Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. 1 Oblique and cross sections, slide PR-79-1, x17. 2 Oblique sections, slide PR-79-1/62, x22. 3 Oblique sections, slide PR-79-1/48, x22. 4 Tangential-oblique section, slide PR-79-1/20, x17. 5-7 Oblique sections, Fig. 5, slide PR-79-1/40; Fig. 6, slide PR-79-1/71; Fig. 7, slide PR-79-1/14, x22. 8-10 Cross sections, Fig. 8, slide PR-79-1/45; Fig. 9, slide PR-79-1/41; Fig. 10, slide PR-79-1/29, x22. Age and location: Lower Coniacian - Campanian, Primoπten (Dalmatia, Croatia). 205SokaË PLATE II 206 Geologia Croatica 53/1 PLATE III 1-16 Salpingoporella donatae n.sp. 1-12 Oblique sections, Fig. 1, slide PR-79-1/69, x22; Fig. 2, slide PR-79-1/31, x17; Fig. 3, slide PR-79-1/14, x22; Fig. 4, slide PR-79-1/67, x22; Fig. 5, slide PR-79-1/39, x22; Fig. 6, slide PR-79-1/67, x22; Fig. 7, slide PR- 79-1/49, x22; Fig. 8, slide PR-79-1/35, x22; Fig. 9, slide PR-79-1/18, x22; Fig. 10, slide PR-79-1/21, x22; Fig. 11, slide PR-79-1/21, x22; Fig. 12, slide PR-79-1/34, x22. 13-14 Cross, slightly oblique sections, Fig. 13, slide PR-79-1/11, x22; Fig. 14, slide PR-79-1/27, x22. 15-16 Cross sections, Fig. 15, slide PR-79-1/55, x22; Fig. 16, slide PR-79-1/17, x22. Age and location: Lower Coniacian - Campanian, Primoπten (Dalmatia, Croatia). 207SokaË PLATE III 208 Geologia Croatica 53/1