328 Neogene paleontology in the northern Dominican Republic 4-6

Multivariate statistical procedures are used to distinguish species in the reef-coral genus Stephanocoenia through a continuous Neogene sequence (five-million year time interval) in the Cibao Valley of the norther Dominican Republic. This genus is the only member of the family Astrocoeniidae that occurs in the sequence. The material consists of 56 colonies (17 of which are measured) from 24 localities in four river sections, the most important being Río Gurabo and Río Cana. Ten characters are measured on each of 10 corallites per colony. The data are analyzed using cluster and canonical discriminant analysis to group colonies into clusters representing species. Identical measurements on modern colonies collected near Discovery Bay, Jamaica are included for comparison. Two fossil species are defined in the analysis, one of which is new (Stephanocoenia duncani, n. sp.). Both species are significantly distinct from the single modern species (S. intersepta) that is the sole living representative of the genus. Study of collections from other reef localities show that both fossil species occur only during Neogene time and only at a limited number of localities.

5. The suborders Caryophylliina and Dendrophylliina (Anthozoa: Scleractinia) written by S.D. Cairns and J.W. Wells.

The 20 species of Neogene Scleractinia in the suborders Caryophylliina and Dendrophylliina known from the Dominican Republic are revised and illustrated. This research was based on 1590 specimens obtained primarily from the collections of the Maturhistorisches Museum, Basel, Switzerland; National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, U.S.A.; and Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, U.S.A. Eight new records are reported for the Neogene of the Dominican Republic, including for new species: Antillocyathus alatus, Trochocyathus chevalieri, T. duncani, and Paracyathus sinuosus. Special attention is given to the genus Asterosmilia, since half (five) of the known species in this genus occur in the Dominican Republic.

Most species described herein ae assumed to constitute a deep-water fauna by analogy to depth ranges of the same or similar species known from the Recent. Certain localities and parts of formations are inferred to represent deep-water (>200 m) facies. These inferences may aid in the paleoecological interpretation of other fossils collected from these areas. 

6. The phylum Brachiopoda written by A. Logan.

Four species of articulate brachiopods: Tichosina? lecta  (Guppy 1866); Terebratulina cailleti Crosse, 1865; Argyrotheca johnsoni Cooper, 1934; and Lacazella caribbeanensis Cooper, 1977 have been described and illustrated from the Río Gurabo, Río Cana and Arroyo Zalaya sections of the Neogene of the Dominican Republic. T.? lecta and L. caribbeanensis have previously been recorded from the Tertiary of the Caribbean area; A. johnsoni, T. cailleti  and L. caribbeanesnsis from the Recent of the same region.

Year published: 1987