Nannotax Enabling nannofossil research

Description: The most common Helicosphaera species. Medium to large size, flange ends in wing, two pores in central-area.

Remarks:

Range: NN1 to 21.

Synonym: H. kamptneri (Hay and Mohler in Hay et al., 1967) Locker, 1973 [Helicopontosphaera]. NB This was an alternative name suggested by Hay et al. (1967) on the grounds that the original descrition of Coccosphaera carteri was likely to have been based on a completely different coccolithophore. This also leadthem to propose Helicopontosphaera as an alternative name for the genus. Jafar & Martini (1975) showed this was incorrect, and so that Helicosphaera carteri was the correct name for the species.

Variants:

• H. carteri var. burkei (Black, 1971) Theodoridis, 1984 - central-area closed;
• H. carteri var. hyalina (Gaarder, 1970) Jordan and Young, 1990 - central-area closed;
• H. acuta Theodoridis, 1984 - no true wing, slight inverse orientation of openings;
• H. colombiana (Gartner, 1977) Haq and Berggren, 1978 - smaller wing;
• H. neogranulata (Gartner, 1977) Haq and Berggren, 1978 - central-area with no true pores/granular;
• H. paleocarteri Theodoridis, 1984 - with small pores separated from the extinction line.