The early Carboniferous Spelaeotriletes balteatus - S. pretiosus Miospore Complex: Defining the base of the Spelaeotriletes pretiosus - Raistrickia clavata (PC) Miospore Biozone

The early Carboniferous Spelaeotriletes balteatus-Rugospora polyptycha (BP) and Spelaeotriletes pretiosus-Raistrickia clavata (PC) Miospore Biozones are defined on the first appearances of S. balteatus and S. pretiosus, respectively. High-resolution sampling of the Porter's Gate Formation at Hook Head, Co.Wexford lead to the detailed biometric analysis of a continuous succession of S. balteatus-S. pretiosus populations. This resulted in the re-description of S. balteatus and S. pretiosus, the erection of a new species; Spelaeotriletes galearis, and the recognition of the occurrence of the stratigraphically useful Spelaeotriletes cabotii in the Irish Tournaisian. The new palynological data provide a more precise definition of the base of the PC biozone. The morphological trend of increasing ornament size, overall size, and diversity of evolving Spelaeotriletes taxa through the Mid-Tournaisian is documented and discussed.