Contribution to the Paleontology, Stratigraphy and Paleogeography of Ninety-seven Southern Tethyan Agglutinated Foraminiferal Species

Abstract

Ninety-seven Campanian–Paleogene smaller agglutinated benthic foraminiferal species belong to thirty-five genera from ten countries in the Southern Tethys (Algeria, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, UAE, Iran, Pakistan, India) have been studied. The modern taxonomical consideration of the species are used. Eighty-nine of the recorded species were previously noted in the literatures, while eight of them are believed here as new: Haplophragmoides iranica, Pseudogaudryinella iraqensis, Arenobulimina beitjebrinensis, A. jerusalemensis, Textulariella sinaensis, Dorothia iranica, Clavulinoides iranica, and Textularia salahii. Forty species of them are recorded from Egypt (about 41%), twenty seven from Pakistan (~28%), ten from UAE (~10.5%), six from Qatar (~ 6%), four from each of Algeria and Iran (~ 4 %), three from each of Jordan (~ 3%), two from each of Palestine and Iran (~2%), and only one from each of Iraq and India (~1%). Most of the Southern Tethyan recorded species are endemic to their original description, while five of them are also recorded in some Northern Tethyan countries (Spain, France, Italy, Hungary and Slovenia): Bathysiphon saidi, Haplophragmoides desertorum, Spiroplectinella esnaensis, Siphogaudryina africana and Textularia crookshanki. The Southern Tethyan assemblage indicate an open marine environment, which represents middle-outer neritic environment (100-200 m depth), and show s an affinity with Midway-Type Fauna 'MTF'' of the United States Gulf Coastal area.