A new coral family and three new genera from the Lower Cretaceous of Puebla and Sonora (Scleractinia; Mexico)

Abstract

Solitary corals currently assigned to the genus Plesiosmilia are common elements in Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous coral faunas. The genus itself is poorly defined and its systematic position is questionable. Moreover, examination of type material has shown that the genus lumps corals of different morphologies. Here, one common coral type is separated in a new solitary coral genus as well as two new phaceloid coral genera with a comparable morphology. The three new and another three existing genera are collected in a new family. The newly described material comes from the Upper Valanginian-Lower Hauterivian of San Juan Raya (Puebla) and the Lower Albian of Rayón (Sonora, both Mexico).