Abstract
ABSTRACT A new and intriguing fossil Mallomonas species, M. enigmata, was uncovered from 10 strata in the Eocene Giraffe Pipe locality. The new species represents an ancient member of the section Punctiferae, and based on scale and bristle morphology is most closely related to the modern congener, M. nieringii. M. nieringii is a rare species known from a suite of acidic waterbodies on the Cape Cod peninsula, Massachusetts, USA. Only a few modifications of the body scales differ between M. enigmata and M. nieringii, and the new taxon was uncovered from a section of the Giraffe Pipe maar lake representing a shallow and acidic waterbody. Cysts of M. enigmata are oval, with a small pore surrounded by a narrow hyaline zone. The anterior ~ ¼ of the cyst surrounding the hyaline zone consists of a series of small, closely spaced, rimmed holes that penetrate the wall. Otherwise, the cyst wall is smooth and unornamented. Unlike any known modern species in the genus, a second type of body scale is produced, but found only attached to the cyst. It is hypothesized that these scales may represent unfinished body scales that became fused to the cyst during its development.
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