Lower Cretaceous Microsolenina (Scleractinia) from Provence (southern France)

Abstract

In the Lower Cretaceous (Urgonian) limestones of the Provence region (South France) shallow-water scleractinian corals are very common. This paper concentrates on corals from the suborder Microsolenina. They represent 34 taxa (including 5 new species) belonging to 14 genera from two families: Microsolenidae and Latomeandridae. This coral assemblage is representative for the late Early Cretaceous Tethyan realm but also shows some endemism. Its characteristic feature is the abundance of hydnophoroid specimens from the genus Hydnophoromeandraraea Morycowa. The Barremian–Early Aptian age of the studied corals is based on forami- nifera (mainly orbitolinids), dasycladale algae and rudists, and agrees with that of the whole studied coral fauna.