Devonian stromatoporoid dataset of the Natural History Museum, London (UK)

Devonian stromatoporoid collections in the Natural History Museum, London
(UK) have been deposited for over 100 years. The characteristics and
systematic position of these specimens, however, have received little
attention. In this study, a total of 297 Devonian stromatoporoid specimens
comprising material documented by Nicholson (1886a–1892) from the UK,
Germany, United States, and Canada, plus specimens described by Ripper
(1933, 1937a, b, c) from Australia, were re-examined. Overall, 50 species
belonging to 29 genera were systematically redescribed based on recent
progress, mainly including Actinostroma, Petridiostroma, Stictostroma,
Pseudotrupetostroma, and Parallelopora. Three-dimensional reconstructions
follow the earlier works of Stearn (1966) and Cockbain (1984). The
reconstructed skeletons reveal stromatoporoid architectural patterns,
crucial for enhancing understanding and revision of stromatoporoid
identification. This study underscores the significance of
three-dimensional reconstruction in taxonomic research on stromatoporoids.
The NHMUK material is combined with data from publications and the
Paleobiology Database (PBDB) to perform a network analysis of the global
occurrence of Devonian stromatoporoids at the generic level; this reveals
a close relationship of the global stromatoporoid fauna during the Early
Devonian, indicating a widespread distribution, despite this interval
being regarded as a time of global stromatoporoid contraction. The Middle
Devonian assemblage shows a much higher cosmopolitan occurrence in the
context of the subsequent Eifelian-Givetian global stromatoporoid
proliferation, consistent with the known pattern from other studies of
Middle Devonian stromatoporoids. Overall, the NHMUK collections are a
valuable resource to help understand the global occurrence of Devonian
stromatoporoids.