DORLODOTIA AND RELATED GENERA (RUGOSA) FROM THE VISEAN (MISSISSIPPIAN; CARBONIFEROUS) OF ZONGULDAK AND BARTIN (NORTH-WESTERN TURKEY)

A rich and diverse coral fauna collected from the Livian (Visean, Mississippian) of Zonguldak and Bartin (North-western Turkey) contains numerous specimens of Dorlodotia and related forms. The most common species, D. delepinei Charles, 1933, is redetermined as Dorlodotia briarti, an European species. A new species of Dorlodotia is described for very large, phaceloid forms: D. euxinensis. The genus Ceriodotia is created for species close to Dorlodotia with a cerioid habit. It comprises two species: C. bartinensis and C. petalaxoides, both common in the Visean of Zonguldak and Bartin. Based on comparison of morphological characters and features of the astogeny, a phylogenetic lineage is proposed for Dorlodotia and the new taxa. The evolution of D. euxinensis from D. briarti is peramorphic. Subsequent paedomorphosis resulted in the lineage D. euxinensis - C. bartinensis - C. petalaxoides. Ceriodotia probably includes Visean taxa from Asia previously described as 'Acrocyathus'.