Some fossil Margaretta (Ascophora:Bryozoa) from the Cenozoic sediments of Western Kachchh,Gujarat

Four species of Schizoporellid (family Margarettidae Harmer,1957) Bryozoa are described from the Cenozoic sediments of the Western Kachchh, Gujarat, India. Among these Margaretta amplipora, and M. hariparensis are new to science and the other species viz; M. guhai nom. nov. and M. rajui Guha & Gopikrishna, 2007 are reported for the second time from these sediments. The erect delicate articulated zoarial growth forms of these species indicate shallow water, moderate to high energy settings. The phylogenetic analysis suggests all the species of Margaretta are monophyletic i.e. all of these species have common ancestor.