Taxonomy and systematic study of some Tournaisian (Hastarian) spores from Belgium

Well preserved miospore assemblages have been obtained from the Tournaisian (Hastarian) interval in six boreholes in the West Flanders region of northwestern Belgium. The Hastarian interval in this region comprises the Hastiere, Pont d'Arcole, Landelies and Orient formations and represents a mixed succession of clastic and carbonate rocks. The miospore assemblages recorded have been assigned to four biozones (VI, HD, BP and PC). Associated conodont faunas indicate that the HD-PC miospore biozones correlate with the Siphonodella sandbergi to upper S. crenulata conodont biozones. Seventy-three miospore taxa were recorded from the Hastarian samples. The present paper concerns the systematic description and taxonomic revision of some of these miospore taxa. In particular, five new miospore species Retusotriletes volaticus Higgs, sp. nov., Cyclogranisporites flandersii Higgs, sp. nov., Cordylosporites turritus Higgs, sp. nov., Secarisporites mauriceus Higgs, sp. nov. and Corystisporites rubeus Higgs, sp. nov. are erected. Two new varieties of Tumulispora rarituberculata (Luber) Playford, 1991 are proposed and two new spore types Cyclogranisporites sp. A and Grandispora sp. A are described. The genus Umbonatisporites Hibbert et Lacey, 1969 is retained and emended and nine new generic combinations are proposed: Cristatisporites hibernicus (Higgs) Higgs, comb. nov., Spelaeotriletes balteatus (Playford) Higgs, comb. nov., Apiculiretusispora coniferus (Kedo) Higgs, comb. nov., Cyclogranisporites ciniae (Turnau) Higgs, comb. nov., Umbonatisporites rarisetosus (Kedo) Higgs, comb. nov., Indotriadides echinatus (Owens, Mishell et Marshall) Higgs, comb. nov., Indotriradites ornatus (Neves) Higgs, comb. nov., Indotriradites scorpius (Balme et Hassell) Higgs comb. nov,. and Indotriradites mitratus (Higgs) Higgs, comb. nov.