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A new species of benthic Foraminifera from an inland Bahamian carbonate marsh

Peter J. van Hengstum and Joan M. Bernhard
A new species of benthic Foraminifera from an inland Bahamian carbonate marsh
Journal of Foraminiferal Research (April 2016) 46 (2): 193-200

Abstract

A new benthic foraminifer, Helenina davescottensis nov. sp., is described from an oligohaline carbonate marsh (palustrine environment) located in a sinkhole on Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas. The uppermost stratigraphy in the sinkhole is characterized by up to 260 cm of peat, which is overlain by 5-10 cm of carbonate sediment that contain H. davescottensis Ontogenetic variability is illustrated with a full sequence of individuals from two chambers (proloculus+first chamber) through eight chambers. Chamber arrangement is planispiral evolute in juveniles that have fewer than three chambers, but arrangement changes to trochospiral evolute when the fourth chamber is added. Adults rarely exceeded 6-7 chambers and were never observed with more than 8 chambers. Supplementary apertures are common and diverse, and multi-chambered individuals typically achieve 100-200 mu m in diameter. Helenina davescottensis was found co-occurring with other low-oligohaline microfossils (Jadammina macrescens, testate amoebae, charophytes, and hydrobiid gastropods), but not other common euryhaline hyaline foraminifera (e.g., H. anderseni, Ammonia tepida). Given the sinkhole stratigraphy, perhaps H. davescottensiswas an early colonizer of a recently generated palustrine environment.


ISSN: 0096-1191
EISSN: 1943-264X
Coden: JFARAH
Serial Title: Journal of Foraminiferal Research
Serial Volume: 46
Serial Issue: 2
Title: A new species of benthic Foraminifera from an inland Bahamian carbonate marsh
Affiliation: Texas A&M University at Galveston, Department of Marine Science, Galveston, TX, United States
Pages: 193-200
Published: 201604
Text Language: English
Publisher: Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research, Ithaca, NY, United States
References: 52
Accession Number: 2016-051626
Categories: Invertebrate paleontology
Document Type: Serial
Bibliographic Level: Analytic
Annotation: NSF grants OCE-1519557, OCE-1356509, and OCE-1219948
Illustration Description: illus. incl. geol. sketch map
N26°36'00" - N26°36'00", W78°24'00" - W78°24'00"
Secondary Affiliation: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA, United States
Country of Publication: United States
Secondary Affiliation: GeoRef, Copyright 2017, American Geosciences Institute. Abstract, Copyright, Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research. Reference includes data from GeoScienceWorld, Alexandria, VA, United States
Update Code: 201625
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