The Cretaceous corals from the Bisbee Group (Sonora; late Barremian - early Albian): Introduction and family Aulastraeoporidae

Abstract

The present contribution is the fi rst instalment in a systematic revision of the corals from the Sonoran Bisbee Group (late Barremian to early Albian). The article gives a short overview on the lithostratigraphy and outcrops of the study area and reports the corals of the family Aulastraeoporidae (suborder Rhipidogyrina). The family contains 10 genera, three of which were found in Sonora. Since the genera Aulastraeopora and Preverastraea were recently systematically revised including the material from the Bisbee Group, the details are not repeated here. For the genus Paraacanthogyra a new species from the early Albian of the La Ceja mountain range is reported. This species is the fi rst indication of the genus in the Western Hemisphere. It differs from other species of the same genus by its very small calicular diameter.