The genus Brachyseris Alloiteau 1946 / 47 and remarks on Latimaeandraraea felixi Angelis d ’ Ossat , 1905 ( Scleractinia ; Cretaceous )

The Early Albian coral species Latimaeandraraea felixi is investigated on the basis of thin sections obtained from the holotype. Its fine skeletal structure and systematic position are elucidated, but its generic position remains questionable. It is most closely related to the genus Brachyseris from which it differs by lacking the typical pattern (forming tholiform walls in two different levels) of this genus. The genus Brachyseris is considered in greater detail on the basis of the holotype and topotypical material of the type species. It is related to other Leptophyllid genera such as Microphyllia, Thalamocaeniopsis, Trigerastraea and Vallimeandra, but is very probably restricted to the Late Cretaceous.


INTRODUCTION
Latimaeandraraea felixi was established by d 'Angelis d'Ossat (1905).The genus Latimaeandraraea is a junior objective synonym of Meandraraea Etallon, 1859.Meandraraea is considered a meandrinoid microsolenid coral.The type of its type species, Meandraraea marcouana Etallon, 1859 was for a long time considered lost.Parts of the Etallon collection are kept in Porrentruy (Switzerland), and parts were recently found in the Muséum national d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris, France), including syntypes of Meandraraea marcouana.Alloiteau (1946/47) included Latimaeandraraea felixi in the genus Brachyseris Alloiteau, 1946/47.He designated as type species of Brachyseris the poorly documented Late Cretaceous Latomeandra morchella Reuss, 1854, even though the text is ambiguous.
Brachyseris became almost unused; the type species was later assigned to Meandraraea, Isastrea, and Thamnoseris, among others (see Löser et al., 2002), probably because the internal structure of the type species remained unknown.Beauvais (1982) revised the type of the type species of Brachyseris, confirmed the genus and assigned various species to it.He was mostly not followed by later authors.
The present study has two aspects.First, the genus Brachyseris is investigated in more detail.Second, the fine skeletal structure of Latimaeandraraea felixi is documented.Thin sections that were recently prepared from the holotype give a better diagnosis and alter the systematic position of the species.

SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTION
Abbreviations.Collection abbreviations are as follows: MGB, Museu de Geologia de Barcelona-Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Spain; MHE, Collection M. Heinrich, Eckental, Germany; NHMW, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Austria.The following abbreviations are used to indicate the dimensions of the corals: min., smallest measured value; max., largest measured value; µ, arithmetic mean of all measured values; σ, standard deviation of all measured values; cv, coefficient of variation according to K. Pearson; n, number of measurements.The abbreviations used in the synonymy lists follow Matthews (1973): *, earliest valid publication of the species name; non, the described material does not belong to the species concerned; v, the specimen was observed by the author.Quotations provided with neither a description nor an illustration are not cited here.
Order SCLERACTINIA Bourne, 1900Suborder MICROSOLENINA Morycowa & Roniewicz, 1995Family LEPTOPHYLLIIDAE Vaughan, 1905Brachyseris Alloiteau, 1946/47 Treb. Mus. Geol. Barcelona, 20 (2014) Relationships.Brachyseris is closely related to Latiastrea Beauvais, 1964, Microphyllia d'Orbigny, 1849, Rhipidastraea Eliášová, 1991, Thalamocaeniopsis Alloiteau, 1954, "Thamnoseris" de Fromentel, 1861, Trigerastraea Alloiteau, 1952, and Vallimeandra Alloiteau, 1957.Type material is available for all type species of the genera, except for Thamnoseris, which is a conceptual genus (Table 1).The most striking characteristic in Brachyeris is the irregularity of the calicular rows.The collines that mark the wall between the calices are tholiform and exist in two levels; higher and more pronounced separating the short calicular rows, lower and less pronounced separating the calices within the rows.The rows or groups of calices are not well defined and this makes comparison of samples (species) difficult.Lophomeandra Beauvais, 1982 is very probably a  1 2 junior synonym of Brachyseris.The difference of the two genera (Beauvais, 1982;volume 2, table 11) is very small.Species separation.The following morphometric data can be obtained from Brachyseris samples: the distance of calicular rows, the width of the calicular rows, and the distance of the calices within the rows.The distance of the calices of the rows shows a very high variation, whereas the other two values show a lower variation.The distance of the calicular rows is better defined than its width.The number of septa is relatively constant within a colony and may also serve to distinguish species.
Species.Currently 20 species are assigned to the genus, ranging from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous.Because the genus was created without any illustration of the type species showing thin sections, and because the genus remained unrevised until Beauvais (1982), its characteristics were unknown for a long time.Thus, it cannot be claimed that all these species belong to Brachyseris.Brachyeris sensu stricto has irregular calicular rows and shows collines that are developed in two different levels; such characteristics are not shared by the Early Cretaceous material (e.g.corresponding to the morphology of "Brachyseris" felixi).
Range.Very probably from the Late Turonian to the Santonian.

Brachyseris morchella Reuss, 1854
Fig. 1.1-2; Fig. Remarks.The species cannot be assigned to Thamnoseris as proposed by various authors.This genus is a nomen dubium; the type of the type species Thamnoseris incrustans has never been illustrated nor was the type recently examined (presumably it is lost).Roniewicz (1979) gives very detailed information on the morphology of the genus, but this is without taxonomical value because it is based on another type species, and even from this species no type material was studied.(Reuss, 1854).MHE A0415: 1, colony surface; 2-3, transversal thin section; 4, longitudinal thin section.Fig. 2. Brachyseris morchella (Reuss, 1854).MHE A0415: 1, superficie de la colonia; 2-3, lámina delgada transversal ; 4, lámina delgada longitudinal.Remarks.The species differs from Brachyseris morchella by more regular calicular rows and the absence of pronounced collines.

DISCUSSION
Brachyseris sensu stricto is a well defined coral genus that is restricted to the Late Cretaceous.Early Cretaceous corals with short calicular rows differ by a more regular pattern and less pronounced collines.For the moment it does not seem justified to create a new genus for this material, because too many species are unknown, but "Brachyseris" felixi would probably be a good candidate for a type species.Beauvais (1982) assigned the species to Brachyseris.
Thamnasteria brevipes Stoliczka, 1873: the type material is without thin sections or a polished surface; an assignation to any genus is therefore difficult.
Beauvais (1982)mall unsectionned specimen that is indeed very close to Brachyseris s.s.Brachyseris padernensisAlloiteau, 1948: the type material is lost; no comparable material could be found (seeLöser, 2013 for  discussion).Brachyseris silex, Eliášová, 1994: the species shows no calicular rows and may belong to Polyastropsis.Brachyseris wellsi Hamilton, 1956: the type specimen is an unsectionned specimen that is not well preserved and hardly allows diagnosis.Latimaeandraraea submorchella Angelis d'Ossat, 1905: the type material is probably lost; a diagnosis is not possible.Many authors assigned the species to Maeandraraea.Latomeandra angulosa Reuss, 1854: the type material is not available;Beauvais (1982)assigned the species to Brachyseris.Latomeandra astraeoides Reuss, 1854: the type material is not available;Beauvais (1982)assigned the species to Brachyseris.Meandraraea tenerrima Oppenheim, 1930: the type material was not at hand;