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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Phaenocompsopogon pustulatus n.gen.n. sp., a calcareous alga from the lacustrine rotliegend of the Saar-Nahe Basin (SW-Germany)

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description

Phaenocompsopogon pustulatus n. gen. n. sp. is a calcareous freshwater alga, probably of rhodophycean affinity. The fossils are mainly known from one locality in the Lower Permian of the Saar-Nahe Basin. The algal remains form a packstone in the Reckweilerhof-Bank of the Altenglan Formation. The simple thallus branches irregularly y-shaped and is covered with abundant pustules. An axial canal is characteristic, as are distinct cell features of an inner and outer cortex surrounding a structureless medulla. Most fossils are silicified and often three-dimensionally preserved. The algae lived in a wave-dominated environment, probably in offshore shallow water. The limited occurrence suggests special ecological restrictions.