A New Genus Balkhanomeandra (Scleractinia) from the Lower Cretaceous of Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan

A new scleractinian genus of the family Latomeandridae Alloiteau, 1952, emend Roniewicz, 1976 is described from the Lower Cretaceous deposits of the Transcaspian Region (western Turkmenistan) and the Lesser Caucasus (Azerbaijan). Representatives of this genus were previously studied by I.Yu. Bugrova and E.I. Kuzmicheva and were assigned to genera Meandrophyllia d'Orbigny, Microphyllia d'Orbigny, and Fungiastraea Alloiteau. A more detailed study of the microstructure and variability of these corals from the author's collection made it possible to reconsider their taxonomic position and establish the new genus Balkhanomeandra gen. nov. with the type species B. roniewiczae sp. nov. in the family Latomeandridae.