Family PALAEOTETRAPYLIDAE Dumitrica, 1989 n. stat.

Palaeotetrapylinae Dumitrica, 1988: 184-186; 1989: 258. — De Wever et al. 2001: 149. — Afanasieva et al. 2005: S286. — Afanasieva & Amon 2006: 129.

TYPE GENUS. — Palaeotetrapyle Dumitrica, 1988: 186 [type species by monotypy: Palaeotetrapyle muelleri Dumitrica, 1988: 186].

INCLUDED GENUS. — Palaeotetrapyle Dumitrica, 1988: 186 .

DIAGNOSIS. — A Larcospiroidea with sets of three elliptical girdles distributed in 3 successively perpendicular planes. The microsphere is heteropolar and consists of 12 pores, without an antapical sagittal beam but with 2 primary lateral beams.

STRATIGRAPHIC OCCURRENCE. — Early Paleocene.

REMARKS

The internal skeletal structure was documented for Palaeotetrapyle (Dumitrica 1988: pl. 5, figs 1-17;1989: pl. 12, figs 14, 16, 17). As quoted by Dumitrica (1988: 186), Palaeotetrapyle is distinguished from Tetrapyle by the lack of an antapical beam and the former’s Paleocene stratigraphic range.