Solenopora
Encyclopedia
The extinct Solenoporaceae have traditionally been interpreted as a group of red algae ancestral to the Corallinales.
The genus from which they take their name, Solenopora
, originates in the Ordovician. Unlike the Corallinaceae, this family has large vegetative cells and an undifferentiated thallus.
Additionally there are external, non-calcified sporangia.
The differences in structure suggest that the holotype is not an alga at all, but rather is a chaetetid sponge. Post-Palaeozoic specimens therefore require re-classification. However, some algal taxa are still classified within the genus.
Some specimens of algal Solenopora retain an original pink colouration, which is banded with growth stages of the fossil; this is produced by boron-containing hydrocarbons.
The solenoporaceae mineralized with calcite.
The genus from which they take their name, Solenopora
Solenopora
The extinct Solenoporaceae have traditionally been interpreted as a group of red algae ancestral to the Corallinales.The genus from which they take their name, Solenopora, originates in the Ordovician...
, originates in the Ordovician. Unlike the Corallinaceae, this family has large vegetative cells and an undifferentiated thallus.
Additionally there are external, non-calcified sporangia.
The differences in structure suggest that the holotype is not an alga at all, but rather is a chaetetid sponge. Post-Palaeozoic specimens therefore require re-classification. However, some algal taxa are still classified within the genus.
Some specimens of algal Solenopora retain an original pink colouration, which is banded with growth stages of the fossil; this is produced by boron-containing hydrocarbons.
The solenoporaceae mineralized with calcite.