Dasycladalean green algae from the Upper Triassic of Mt. Rotonda (Verbicaro Unit, Calabria-Lucania Border, Southern Italy)

A rich and diverse dasycladalean algae association is described from the Upper Triassic succession of Mt. Rotonda (Calabria-Lucania border, Southern Italy). This association consists of: Neoteutloporella rajkae n.sp., Griphoporella bechstadti n.sp., Physoporella zamparelliae n.sp., Spinaporella andalusica Flugel and Flugel-Kahler, 1984, S. ? granadaensis Flugel and Flugel-Kahler, 1984, Chinianella? sp., Gyroporella sp., Griphoporella ? sp. and Physoporella aff. leptotheca. Neoteutloporella rajkae n.sp. is characterised by an undulated calcareous skeleton with short acrophore primary laterals bearing a tuft of 4-6 elongate, segmented, trichophore secondary laterals. This species allows to extend back to the Upper Triassic the stratigraphic range of the genus Neoteutloporella, previously known only from Upper Jurassic levels. Griphoporella bechstadti n.sp. has a cylindrical calcareous skeleton and primary laterals only, consisting of a thin proximal part followed by a swollen portion that pinches out distally and finally opens outward with a cup-like swelling. Physoporella zamparelliae n.sp. is characterised by a calcareous skeleton made by partly welded thin individual sheaths enclosing the laterals. The laterals are piriferous, vertically compressed, roughly triangular both in vertical and in verticillar section. In some specimens they end with a spine-like thin apophysis. This species confirms that the typical Middle Triassic genus Physoporella survived up into the Norian. The dasycladalean algal association of the Norian of Mt. Rotonda shows some similarities with the algal association found in the Upper Triassic of the Betic Cordillera whereas it is markedly different from the rich association occurring in the Upper Triassic of Sicily and of the Northern Calcareous Alps. This pattern is coupled with a different composition of the platform margin communities: microbial/serpulids bioconstructions in the Upper Triassic of the Calabria-Lucania border and of Alpujarride vs. Dachstein-type reefs in Sicily and the Northern Calcareous Alps. This indicates that the palaeoceanographic and palaeogeographic conditions controlled both the development of the different platform margin and of the different algal assemblages.