Exact number of pore frames and their configuration in the Mesozoic radiolarian Pantanellium: An application of X-ray micro-CT and layered manufacturing technology to micropaleontology

Nylon models of earliest Cretaceous Pantanellium were produced from a real fossil specimen by applying X-ray micro-CT and layered manufacturing technology. These models enable us to elucidate the exact number of polygonal pore frames and their configuration on the cortical shell, which is difficult to recognize from scanning electron microscope or light microscope images. The specimen has a total number of 27 polygonal (12 pentagonal and 15 hexagonal) pore frames. The pore frame number and the configuration are important criteria in the taxonomy of the Family Pantanelliidae. Planar graphs showing the distribution of polygonal pore frames on the cortical shell are depicted. They are expected to be a standard method for presenting and examining geometrical characters of pantanellid cortical shells. The new technology of X-ray micro-CT can shed light on detailed morphological examinations of not only radiolarians but also any other microfossils.