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Table 1 List of scleractinian corals from the Vitznau Marl, Alpstein area, northeastern Switzerland, characteristics of their skeletal elements, their stratigraphic and geographic ranges, and paleoenvironmental occurrences reported from localities of both the Vitznau marl and elsewhere; corallite size: small = 2.5 mm or less; medium =  > 2.5 to 9 mm; large =  > 9 mm

From: Scleractinian corals from the Lower Cretaceous of the Alpstein area (Anthozoa; Vitznau Marl; lower Valanginian) and a preliminary comparison with contemporaneous coral assemblages

Vitznau species

Corallite size and integration; corallum shape

Paleoenvironmental occurrences

Other geographic and stratigraphic-distributions (see text for further details)

Actinaraea tenuis

Small, thamnasterioid; submassive to folios, subramose

Reef, buildup, bioherm, lagoonal or restricted shallow subtidal, open marine

Contemporaneous, and younger strata: Europe; younger strata: West Asia

Actinastrea pseudominima

Small; cerioid, cerio-plocoid; small massive to subramose

Reef, buildup, bioherm, perireef, subreef, shallow subtidal, lacustrine deltaic, shallow open marine

Older and younger strata: Europe; younger strata: Asia, North Africa

Adelocoenia parvistella

Small, plocoid; small massive

Reef, patch-reef, back-reef area, shallow open marine

Older strata: Asia, Europe

Aplosmilia semisulcata

Medium; branching

Reef, buildup, bioherm, shallow open marine

Older strata: Asia, Europe

Axosmilia villersensis

Large, solitary [no integration type]; conical

Shallow subtidal, shallow open marine

Contemporaneous and younger strata: Europe

Complexastrea zolleriana

Large, astreoid, thamnasterioid; cerio-plocoid; subflabellate, plocoid, submeandroid; massive

Reef, buildup, bioherm, shallow open marine

Older strata: Asia, Europe

Cyathophora claudiensis

Medium; plocoid, cerio-plocoid; massive

Reef, buildup, bioherm, shallow open marine

Older strata: Asia, Europe

Dermosmilia sp.

Large; branching

Genus known from reefal and non-reefal environments

Fungiastraea lamellosa

Small–medium; thamnasterioid-submeandroid; massive

Shallow subtidal, shallow open marine

Younger strata: Europe

Heterocoenia inflexa

Plocoid, cerio-plocoid; small; small submassive to subramose

Reef, buildup, bioherm, lacustrine deltaic, shallow open marine

Older, contemporaneous, younger strata: Europe

Latiastrea mucronata

Medium; cerioid; small massive

Reef, buildup, bioherm, shallow open marine, shallow subtidal, lacustrine deltaic

Older, contemporaneous strata: Europe; younger strata: Europe, Central America, Asia

Montlivaltia truncata

Large; solitary [no integration type]; conical

Reef, buildup, bioherm, shallow open marine, lacustrine deltaic

Older strata: Asia, Europe, North Africa

Placophyllia cf. dianthus

Medium; branching

Reef, buildup, bioherm, shallow open marine, lacustrine deltaic, shallow subtidal

Older strata: Asia, Europe; contemporaneous strata: ?Europe

Placophyllia cf. florosa

Large; branching

Reef, buildup, bioherm, shallow open marine

Older strata: Europe

Pleurophyllia ? tobleri

Medium; branching

Reef, buildup, bioherm, shallow open marine, lacustrine deltaic

Older and contemporaneous strata: Europe

Stylophyllid indet

Large; ?solitary [no integration type]; conical

Stylophyllopsis silingensis

Medium; branching

Shallow open marine

Younger strata: Asia

Thamnoseris cf. carpathica

Medium, (cerio)- thamnasterioid, massive

Platform or shelf margin reef, shallow subtidal, open shallow subtidal, shallow open marine

Younger strata: Asia, Europe