Aphralysiaceae

Section of Sparaphralysia orientalis, from Vachard et al. (2001).

Belongs within: Cyanobacteria.

The Aphralysiaceae are encrusting organisms, probably Cyanobacteria, known from the Early Carboniferous to the Late Cretaceous (Vachard et al. 2001).

Characters (from Vachard et al. 2001): Encrusting colonies, nodular, composed of dark microgranular elements ('walls'); vesicles, tubules, laminae, networks, etc., filled with clear microsparitic elements. Some 'walls' can be also microsparitic.

<==Aphralysiaceae
    |--Aphralysia Garwood 1914 VH01
    |--Pycnoporidium Derville 1931 VH01
    |--Stylocodium Derville 1931 VH01
    |--Intextulella Petryk in Petryk & Mamet 1972 VH01
    |--Bacinella Radoičić 1959 VH01
    |    `--*B. irregularis Radoičić 1959 H75
    |--Archaeolithoporella Endo 1961 VH01
    |    `--*A. hidensis Endo 1961 VH01
    `--Sparaphralysia Vachard in Vachard & Beckary 1991 VH01
         |--*S. tacania Vachard in Vachard & Beckary 1991 VH01
         |--S. orientalis Vachard, Hauser et al. 2001 VH01
         `--‘Wetheredella’ starobeshevense Berchenko in Aisenverg et al. 1983 VH01

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[H75] Häntzschel, W. 1975. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology pt W. Miscellanea Suppl. 1. Trace Fossils and Problematica 2^nd ed. The Geological Society of America: Boulder (Colorado), and The University of Kansas: Lawrence (Kansas).

[VH01] Vachard, D., M. Hauser, R. Martini, L. Zaninetti, A. Matter & T. Peters. 2001. New algae and problematica of algal affinity from the Permian of the Aseelah Unit of the Batain Plain (East Oman). Geobios 34 (4): 375–404.