NAME Spatulosporonites minutus
AGE Early Tertiary (Third Formation of Funing Group).   AGE span: 65.5...23.03 mya
K&J CLASSIFICATION (2000)
FIGURE(S)
FIGURE REFERENCE
SPECIES, AUTHORITY S. minutus Song, Qian & Zheng in Song Zhichen et al., 1999, p. 55, pl. 12, fig. 10. Not here illustrated.
LOCATION Eastern China, Northern Jiangsu Basin.
ORIG DESCRIPTION* Overall size 28 x 24 µm; finger-like cells projecting 2-2.5 µm; spore wall 2-2.5 µm thick; diameter of cells about 3-4 µm; otherwise as per generic diagnosis.
COMMENTS*
PUBLICATION REFERENCE
K&J REMARKS The overall appearance of this spore resembles that of Dictyosporites morularis (Kalgutkar and Jansonius's (2000) Pl. 15, fig. 32), or that of D. symmetricus (Kalgutkar and Jansonius's (2000) Pl. 15, fig. 20). There are 6 rows of cells; the cells of the top row are stretched toward a tapered top, from which a finger-like cell projects. (The bottom finger was not distinct in Kalgutkar and Jansonius's (2000) xerox copy of the illustration.) There are also 6 columns. The whole structure appears to be only one cell deep ("wheel-like"). The thickness of the spore wall looks, from the illustration, to be not more than 1 µm.

The authorship of this species is given as Song, Qian & Zheng in the line immediately below the name of the new genus, and as only Song in the heading of the new species. There is no Latin or English description, and no (apparent) reference to where the holotype is being curated. Consequently, the name of this species must be regarded as not validly published. By extension, the name of the genus of which this species was intended to be the type also must be considered as not validly published.
TYPE
ALL NAMES (Including synonyms) Spatulosporonites minutus
SERIAL NUMBER 1570
PUBLIC COMMENTS
 *For source, see Publication Reference.