Bryozoa of the Early Eocene Tumaio Limestone, Chatham Island, New Zealand

The rich bryozoan fauna living in the sea around New Zealand at the present day is among the best known globally. However, despite the abundance of bryozoans in Cenozoic deposits onshore, little is known about these faunas and therefore the origin of the modern fauna. Here we describe a previously unstudied bryozoan fauna from the Tumaio Limestone of Early Eocene age on Chatham Island, totalling 77 species (22 Cyclostomata, two Ctenostomata and 53 Cheilostomata). The following new taxa are introduced: Plagioecia zatoni sp. nov., Mesenteripora jamesi sp. nov., Platonea dilatata sp. nov., Zagorsekia gen. nov., Heteropora scholzi sp. nov., Conopeum stamenocelloides sp. nov., Tumaiella dieffenbachi gen. et sp. nov., Marssonopora connexa sp. nov., Amphiblestrum paleogenicum sp. nov., Dactylostega spiralis sp. nov., Pyrisinella primazelandiae sp. nov., Chaperiopsis cookae sp. nov., Pseudothyracella campbelli sp. nov., Cladobryopastor philipi gen. et sp. nov., Floridina elegans sp. nov., Onychocella subtriangulata sp. nov., Melychocella bilamellata sp. nov., Melychocella obliqua sp. nov., Aspidostoma clava sp. nov., A. gelasinus sp. nov., A. twinn sp. nov., A. lamellatum nom. nov., Micropora chathamica sp. nov., Andreella dubia sp. nov., Cellaria bicuspidata sp. nov., C. gigas sp. nov., C. inarticulata sp. nov., C. palatum sp. nov., Quasitrilaminopora curiosa gen. et sp. nov., Moyanopora hugoi gen. et sp. nov., Arachnopusia dimorpha sp. nov., Exechonella chathamensis sp. nov., Diedroporidae fam. nov., Diedropora gravabilis gen. et sp. nov., Adeonellopsis incompta sp. nov., Multescharellina pisiformis sp. nov., Chataimulosia revelator sp. nov., Porella tiorioriensis sp. nov., Hemicyclopora dissidens sp. nov., Hemicyclopora ventricosa sp. nov., Exochella abigailae sp. nov., E. reidae sp. nov., E. woodae sp. nov., E. linearis sp. nov., Illusiopora bifax gen. et sp. nov., I. recta gen. et sp. nov., Gigantopora modesta sp. nov., G. grandis sp. nov., Porina turrita sp. nov., Lacerna ordinaria sp. nov., Phonicosia sinuosa sp. nov., Macrocamera obesa sp. nov., Siphonicytara primitiva sp. nov., S. litotes sp. nov., Osthimosia aurora sp. nov., O. curiosa sp. nov. and Reteporella mediocris sp. nov. Keys are given for New Zealand Cenozoic species of Aspidostoma and Cellaria. The Tumaio bryozoan fauna shows a high degree of endemicity, contains the earliest known records of several cheilostome families, and small colonies of encrusting species that may represent the oldest example of an interstitial' bryozoan fauna.