Lower Cretaceous Coral - Texas Glen Rose Formation

[JamieLynn]

Hello FF! I found this litte tiny coral in the Lower Glen Rose formation of Comal County. Any ID possibility? It looks different from any other corals I have found in the Fredericksburg formation and I have not found ANY in the Glen Rose til this one. Thanks!! 

 

 

As close as I can get for detail....my camera doesn't do well in Macro: 

 

 

 

 

 

[Creek - Don]

That appears to be a Texas Cretaceous coral called Montastrea sp.  

 

 

[JamieLynn]

Thank you @Creek - Don

[HansTheLoser]

This is a Heliopora (formerly Polytremacis, what turned out to be a junior synonym; Hernandez & Loeser 2018, Revision of the family Helioporidae (Coenothecalia, Anthozoa; Cretaceous - Extant), Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Palaeontologie, Abhandlungen, 287, 3: 351-363). A close-up with scale would be helpful in order to take measurements and to assign it to a species. Brushing it softly before may help to reveal details.

 

Montastrea is an uncertain genus (type of the type species unknown, even the type locality). So called "Montastrea" material  should be assigned to Orbicella. The genus has its earliest occurrence in the Late Cretaceous (Campanian or so) of Asia. It does not occur in the Early Cretaceous of Texas. Much Texan material assigned to Montastrea belongs to Stephanocoenia (there is a paper in print on the subject).

[JamieLynn]

thank you Hans! I will take a better pic now that I have a better microscope camera!

 

[HansTheLoser]

Please add a scale. Or take with the same magnification a picture of a scale.

[JamieLynn]

Well, they are not the greatest photos. Still can't seem to get a good macro shot. Here are some attempts: 

 

 

 

 

 

[HansTheLoser]

According to dimensions and pore density ("septal counts") clearly Heliopora labyrinthicum (Wells, 1932).

[JamieLynn]

Thank you so much @HansTheLoser