No abstract

Nummulites fichteli Michelotti, is identified from a nummulitic bank atWadi Al Bisseh Section (W. Al Ghadaf), east Jordan. This species is an index species for the Rupelian. It represents a new Nummulites record for the Oligocene in Jordan. The age of the sampled stratigraphic level was previously dated bymeans of echinoids (Zachos et al. 2008). Biometrical studies on N. fichteli show that it is distinct from N. intermedius Schaub 1981. According to Schaub (1981) Nummulites fichteli is considered as the ancestral form of Nummulites sublaevigatus d’Archiac and Haime 1853. It is also a descendant species of N. fabianii retiatus Roveda 1959. According to Boukhary et al. 2010, Nummulites emiratus (of Rupelian age) is the descendant species of N. fabianii while Nummulites ptukhiani (Early Priabonian) is possibly the direct ancestor of N. retiatus since N. fabianii and N. retiatus are not phylogenetically related.