Tournaisian and early Viséan tabulate corals from the Donets Basin, Ukraine and some aspects of their taxonomy

A new collection of tabulate corals from the Tournaisian to lower Viséan lower part of the predominantly carbonate Mokrovolnovakha Series of the Donets Basin is studied. Species of the genera Syringopora Goldfuss, Pleurosiphonella Tchudinova, Roemeripora Kraicz, Montanella Tchudinova, Neomultithecopora Lin, and Michelinia de Koninck, previously unknown in the Donets Basin are described. The new species Syringopora paraconferta sp. nov. has been identified. The problems of identification of some species of the genus Syringopora are considered. Among the most common of the previously defined species are Syringopora ramulosa Goldfuss, type species of the genus, as well as Syringopora reticulata Goldfuss. Preliminary examination of the type specimens, housed at the Goldfuß-Museum of the Bonn University (Germany) shows their unsatisfactory preservation and precludes unambiguous taxonomic usage. Consequently, the species names S. ramulosa and S. reticulata can only be used after additional sampling and detailed description of new topotypic material. The revision of other collections, including those from the Donets Basin will only be possible after Goldfuss’s species are taxonomically established.