Ammodiscus anulatus, a new species of benthic foraminifera from the Colombian Basin

Flavia Fiorini
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), CTPA (Center for Tropical Paleoecology and Archeology), Ancon, Panama, Republic of Panama email: flavia.fiorni@dal.ca; flavia.fiorni@ecopetrol.com.co

ABSTRACT: A new species of agglutinated benthic foraminifera belonging to the Genus Ammodiscus has been discovered in seafloor sediment from the Colombian Caribbean continental slope. Ammodiscus anulatus n. sp. is characterized by a smoothly finished test and by circular constrictions on the tubular chamber.

INTRODUCTION Foraminifera belonging to the genus Ammodiscus (Reuss 1862) are characterized by an agglutinate wall and a globular proloculus followed by a planispirally enrolled, undivided tu-

bular second chamber provided by an arch-shaped aperture at the open end that may show growth constrictions (Loeblich and Tappan 1988).

TEXT-FIGURE 1 Location of the sampling points along the continental slope of Fuerte area, Colombian Basin.

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TABLE 1

Water depth, location (plane coordinates system with origin in Bogota) of the surface sediment samples in which the new species Ammodiscus anulatus occurs.

Description: Test free, planispirally enrolled, discoidal, bilaterally symmetrical, biconcave with central area depressed. The central portion of the test is often broken away because is very thin. The diameter is up to 800 m and the thickness is about 1/7-1/8 of the test diameter. The proloculus is very small. The diameter of the tubular second chamber increases in size with succeeding coils. The number of coils is 11 or 12 in the adult specimens. The succeeding coil overlaps the preceding coil of about 1/3 of the thickness. The spiral sutures between the coils are slightly depressed. The peripheral margin is rounded. The tubular chamber presents numerous very distinct annular growth constrictions. The wall is agglutinated. The surface is smoothly finished, almost polished. The color of the test is pale yellowish orange. The arch-shaped aperture forms the open end of the tubular chamber.

Research conducted on several Recent samples collected along the continental slope and shelf of Fuerte Area (Colombian Basin, text-figure 1), reveals the occurrence of a new species belonging to the genus Ammodiscus with a rare and scattered occurrence on the lower slope. The benthic foraminiferal microfauna occurring together with the new species is mainly composed by agglutinated foraminifera that characterize about the 60-80% of the benthic foraminiferal assemblage (Fiorini and Torres Torres 2007; Fiorini et al. 2008). MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty Recent sediment samples have been collected from the uppermost 2.5 centimeters of the Colombian Basin sea floor between 39 and 2469m water depth using a piston corer (Fiorini and Torres Torres 2007; Fiorini et al. 2008). Samples were washed over a 63mm sieve and dried at 30C. The dried residuals were examined for their benthic foraminiferal content. Seven of the examined samples (text-figure 1), corresponding to clayey sediment, collected between 1138 and 1643m water depth (Table 1), reveal the rare occurrence (0.5-2% of the benthic foraminiferal association) of a new species of Ammodiscus. Taxonomic identification at the genus-level is based on Loeblich and Tappan (1988). Selected specimens were photographed using either a SEM or a digital camera mounted on an optical microscope and are illustrated in Plate 1. SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY Suborder TEXTULARIINA Delage and Hrouard 1896 Superfamily AMMODISCACEA Reuss 1862 Family AMMODISCIDAE Reuss 1862 Subfamily AMMODISCINAE Reuss 1862 Genus Ammodiscus Reuss 1862 Ammodiscus anulatus Fiorini n. sp. Plate 1, Figures 1a, 1b and 2 Etymology: The name anulatus comes from the presence of numerous annular constrictions that characterize the tubular chamber.

Remarks: This new species appears similar to Ammodiscus planorbis Hglund, 1947 in its size and for the smoothly finished surface. Ammodiscus planorbis is characterized by an occasional occurrence of fine radial striations. Ammodiscus anulatus n. sp. differs from A. planorbis in the presence of very distinct radial constrictions. Moreover, the peripheral outline of A. anulatus appears to be more rounded and thick with respect to A. planorbis. A co-occurrence of A. anulatus and A. planorbis is reported in the type-locality samples G106 and B221. The specimens of A. planorbis reported from those samples present a smoothly-finished surfaces without radial constrictions and a less rounded peripheral outline than the one of A. anulatus. In addition, the color is pale in A. anulatus and deep brown in A. planorbis tests. Type level: Recent sea-floor sediments. Type locality: Fuerte Area, Colombian Basin (text-figure 1). Holotype collected from sample G22. Paratypes were collected from samples B209, B202, G104, G106 and B221. Holotype: One complete test, figured plate 1, figures 1a and 1b, collection number SC ICP-BF-00206. The holotype diameter is 690m and the thickness of the external whorl is 100m. The diameter and thickness correspond to the maximum distances of the tests. Paratypes: Eleven tests. One paratype was collected from sample B209 (collection number USMN 537382, test diameter 800m), one from sample B202 (collection number SC ICP-BF-00463, test diameter 700m; plate 1, fig. 2), one from sample G104 (collection number SC ICP-BF-00464, test diameter 700m), two paratypes were collected from sample G106 (collection number SC ICP-BF-00207) and six from sample B221 (collection number SC ICP-BF-00208). Deposition of types: The paratype collected from sample B209 is deposited in the Collection of Foraminifera at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History of Washington. The holotype and other paratypes, together with washed samples, slides with picked foraminiferal specimens of Ammodiscus anulatus n. sp. and other benthic foraminifera occurring in the same samples are housed in the Systematic Collection of Instituto Colombiano de Petroleo ICP Ecopetrol in Piedecuesta, Santander, Colombia.

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Flavia Fiorini: Ammodiscus anulatus, a new species of benthic foraminifera from the Colombian Basin

PLATE 1 1 Ammodiscus anulatus n.sp. Holotype. Sample G22. Side view (1a) and edge view (1b): digital camera photographs.

2 Ammodiscus anulatus n.sp. Paratype. Sample B202. Side view: SEM image. The scale bar corresponds to 100m.

Distribution: The holotype was collected at 1321m water depth. The others types between the water depth of 1138 and 1643m (Table 1). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The work is part of a postdoctoral research at STRI (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute). Thanks to the Grupo de Bioestratigrafa of ECOPETROL - ICP (Colombian Petroleum Institute), for offering the funding for carrying out this work. Samples from the present work were donated by BHPB. Thanks to Dr. Hermann Duque-Caro and David B. Scott for helpful comments and for pre-reviewing the early version of this paper. Comments from two anonymous reviewers greatly improved the manuscript. Photographs have been taken using either digital camera or SEM at ICP. REFERENCES
DELAGE, Y. and HROUARD, E., 1896. Trait de Zoologie Concret. La Celluleet les Protozoaire. Paris: Schleicher Frres, vol.1. FIORINI, F. and TORRES TORRES, V., 2007. Recent biofacies distribution along the continental slope and shelf of the Colombian Carib-

bean. INQUA Conference, Cairns, Australia, 28 Jul-3 Aug 2007. Quaternary International, 167-168: 119. FIORINI, F., LEN PALMA, K., TORRES TORRES, V. and FLORES, J.A., 2008. Recent microorganisms of the Colombian basin: an approach from shelf to slope. Oslo: 34th International Geological Congress. http://www.cprm.gov.br/33IGC/1342333.html HGLUND, H., 1947. Foraminifera in the Gullmar Fjord and the Skagerak. Zoologiska bidrag frn Uppsala, 26: 125. LOEBLICH, A.R. and TAPPAN, H., 1988. Foraminiferal genera and their classification. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 2 vols., 970pp. REUSS. A.E., 1862. Entwurf einer systematischen Zusammenstellung der Foraminiferen. Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Matematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe (1861), 44(1): 355-396.

Manuscript received April 30, 2008 Manuscript accepted December 7, 2008

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