Escharella aff. octodentata (Hincks, 1880)
Colonies are encrusting, multiserial and sheet-like. The ancestrula is undescribed.
Autozooids are slightly elongate rhomboidal in outline shape, moderately large, about 0.56-0.69 mm long by 0.44-0.56 mm wide, with a convex, finely granular frontal shield lacking pseudopores. Areolar pores are arranged in one to two rows around the edge of the frontal shield. The primary orifice is wider than long, about 0.11 mm long by 0.15 mm wide, with a broad lyrula. Oral spines vary in number from 6 to 8 in infertile zooids, 6 normally being visible in fertile zooids. Zooid basal walls contain a large uncalcified window. The recumbent ovicell is wider than long, measuring about 0.23 mm long by 0.32 mm wide, and has an imperforate, granular ectooecium.
Avicularia are lacking.
This Coralline Crag species of Escharella may be un-named. It resembles the Recent species E. octodentata (see Hayward & Ryland 1999, p. 126), for example in the broad lyrula and in frequently having more than one row of areolar pores. However, it differs in often possessing fewer than 8 oral spines in infertile zooids, and typically 6 visible spines in fertile zooids compared to the 8 seen in E. octodentata.
Pliocene, Late Zanclean–Early Piacenzian, Coralline Crag Formation, Suffolk, UK.