Exceptionally well‐preserved proximal parts of colonies of the late Famennian heterocoral Oligophylloides maroccanus Weyer, 2017 with immured epizoans are described here from the Jebel Bou Ifarherioun ridge of the eastern Anti‐Atlas, Morocco. This is the first evidence of unique syn vivo interactions between a heterocoral and numerous epizoans, that is the colonial tabulate corals Zemmourella? sp. and Aulopora? sp.; solitary rugose corals Czarnockia? sp. and Gorizdronia? sp.; and other juvenile, undeterminable solitary rugosans, crinoids, as well as microbial structures. Detailed analysis of sectioned specimens allowed mutual interactions to be traced during growth of the host and infesting encrusting taxa. The studied associations show that the epizoans must have settled on the proximal parts of Oligophylloides in places devoid of soft tissue. The encrusted proximal portions of the colonies show that soft tissue of the heterocoral could have retracted and expanded again, fouling and immuring dead epizoans. The process of bioimmuration is perfectly marked by thin layers of microbial encrustations developing on the epibiont skeletons prior to their overgrowth by the skeleton of the heterocoral. The studied encrustations seem to be widespread, but the association provided the epizoans with additional substrate for encrustation, as well as an elevated position above the seafloor, beneficial for access to nutrients. We suggest that the host bioimmured the encrusters after their death, because of noticeable microbial encrustations and veneers of sediment, a lack of malformations, relatively rapid growth and aggressive activity of epizoans.

中文翻译：

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2017年在杂珊瑚Olocphylphylloides maroccanus Weyer身上感染的附生动物：摩洛哥Famennian（上泥盆纪）的独特记录

摩洛哥东部反阿特拉斯山脉的Jebel Bou Ifarherioun山脊上描述了法门尼亚晚期异珊瑚寡头maroccanus Weyer（2017年）殖民地保存完好的近端，带有被感染的附生动物。这是异质珊瑚和众多附生动物之间独特的合成体内相互作用的第一个证据，即殖民地的表层珊瑚Zemmourella？sp。和Aulopora？sp .; 孤零零的珊瑚沙皇？sp。和戈里斯多尼亚？sp .; 以及其他未确定的幼小皱褶，海百合和微生物结构。切片标本的详细分析允许在宿主的生长和成虫的包壳类群之间追踪相互的相互作用。该协会的研究表明，epizoans必须在近端部分解决Oligophylloides在没有软组织的地方。菌落的近端部分显示，异珊瑚的软组织可能已经缩回并扩展，污染了死的附生动物并使其受到伤害。生物浸渗的过程完美地标志着表皮骨骼上形成的薄薄一层微生物结壳，然后由异珊瑚的骨骼过度生长。已研究的结壳似乎很普遍，但该协会为附生动物提供了额外的结壳基质，以及海床上方的较高位置，有利于获取营养。我们建议宿主死后对宿主进行生物污染，这是由于明显的微生物结壳和沉积物单板，畸形的缺乏，相对快速的生长以及附生动物的侵略性。