Epistomaroides Uchio 1952

Mamo, Briony L., 2016, Benthic Foraminifera from the Capricorn Group, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Zootaxa 4215 (1), pp. 1-123 : 86-87

Epistomaroides Uchio 1952

Epistomaroides polystomelloides (Parker & Jones 1865) ( Fig. 20 :15–17)

Description. See Parker & Jones (1865 p. 421, pl. 19, fig. 8).

Distribution within study area. Epistomaroides polystomelloides (Parker & Jones 1865) was found at 4 sites from Heron Reef flat, One Tree Lagoon 3 and the channel between Heron and Wistari Reefs with no more than one specimen collected per site.

Epistomaroides punctatus ( Said 1949) ( Fig. 20 : 18–20; Fig. 21 :1–6)

1949 Epistomaria punctata Said , p. 37, pl. 4, fig. 23.

1980 Epistomaroides punctulata (d’Orbigny) ; Hansen & Rögl, p. 153, pl. 1, figs 4–6. 1984 Epistomaroides punctata (Said) ; Reiss & Hottinger, p. 246, fig. G29a–b. 1994 Epistomaroides punctatus (Said) ; Hottinger et al., p. 131, pl. 180, figs 1–11; pl. 181, figs 1–6.

Description. Test low trochospiral with slightly inflated chambers, rounded to lobate outline, rounded periphery.

Initial chambers partially obscured by a boss on umbilical side. Test coarsely perforate. Initial sutures flush and imperforate becoming deep intraseptal, interlocular spaces opening on both sides of test (to varying degrees) between last 4–6 chambers. Extensions of folia imperforate, bridging intraseptal spaces at their margins. Umbilical face smooth, imperforate, with an interiomarginal main aperture that lines the right side (or umbilical side) of the umbilical suture. The aperture at base of the umbilical face extends down and around to the anterior of test. Aperture possesses several small, clustered papillae around rim with a slight lip in some specimens. An additional anterio-lateral foliar aperture, also on the umbilical face, is located approximately half way up the face of the final chamber, also with rimming papillae but no lip. For further descriptions of this species see Hottinger et al. (1993, p. 131, pl. 180, figs 1–11; pl. 181, figs 1–6).

Remarks. Epistomaroides punctatus ( Said 1949) has a trochospiral test with inflated chambers and lobate outline, but the primary characteristics are the distinct sutures that become interlocular spaces in the final chambers and the anterio-lateral foliar aperture.

Epistomaroides punctatus differs from E. polystomelloides by having a more lobate outline, inflated chambers and lacking the thick, raised ornament that covers the entire early coiled chambers of the test and most of the final chambers of E. polystomelloides .

Unlike E. polystomelloides , E. punctatus has not been widely reported. Hansen & Rögl (1980) argued that E. punctatus is identical with Anomalina punctata d’Orbigny 1826 and that Anomalina should be the senior synonym since the original drawings clearly depict E. punctatus . This was also argued by Loeblich & Tappan (1987) and Hottinger et al. (1993) who commented that the broad concept of Anomalina in the original description resulted in a very generalised concept of the genus. However, this proposal was later withdrawn by Rögl and was also disputed by Revets (1994) who indicated that Anomalina should not be suppressed, but the type species should be changed from Anomalina punctata d’Orbigny 1826 to Anomalina ariminensis d’Orbigny 1902 ( Fornasini 1902) to rectify the confusion surrounding the genus. Revets (1994) argued that the relatively large size of E. punctatus would have allowed d’Orbigny to observe significant morphological attributes though some key features such as the interseptal bridges and umbilical folia were not mentioned. The original illustrations of d’Orbigny’s (1826) appear different to E. punctatus in that, despite sharing a similar lobate-outlined perforate test, A. punctulata has a large, raised, round umbilical boss, the chambers are flush together with depressed sutures, there are no large interseptal cavaties or bridges spanning them and there is a lack of folia and subsequent extensions seen in all examples of E. punctatus . Thus it is unlikely that d’Orbigny (1826) incorrectly assigned A. punctulata , but rather the two taxa represent separate species and d’Orbigny’s (1826) illustrations were misinterpreted by Hansen & Rögl (1980).

Most reports of E. punctatus are of specimens collected from the Gulf of Aqaba , Red Sea ( Said 1949; Reiss & Hottinger 1984; Hottinger et al. 1993) and specimens discussed by Hansen & Rögl (1980) were collected from Port Louis, Mauritius .

Distribution within study area. Epistomaroides punctatus was collected from all sampled reefs except Sykes Reef. Though common throughout most areas, abundance never exceeded ten specimens per site with average abundance at three specimens per site. Two specimens of E. punctatus were still alive at the time of collection restricted to one specimen from site 53 in One Tree Lagoon 2 and one specimen from the channel sample.

Figures

FIGURE 20. (Unless otherwise specified all scale bars = 100 µm). 1 – 3. Neoconorbina? sp. 1, from T 1 – 4. 1 – 2. QM # G 466023 from T 1 – 4, spiral view (1) and close-up spiral (2) view. Scale bar for 2 = 50 µm. 3. QM # G 466082 from T 1 – 2 umbilical view, scale bar = 50 µm. 4 – 5. Buliminoides williamsoniana (Brady, 1881), QM # G 465931 from WL 21. 4. Lateral view. 5. Peripheral view. 6 – 9. Pileolina? minogasaformis Ujiié, 1992. 6 – 7. QM # G 465970 from OTI 48, spiral (6) and peripheral (7) views. Scale bar for 7 = 50 µm. 8 – 9. QM # G 466016 from OTI 53, peripheral (8) and umbilical (9) views. Scale bar = 50 µm. 10 – 14. Cibicidoides cf. C. basilanensis McCulloch, 1977. 10. QM # G 466004 from OTI 53. Spiral view, scale bar = 50 µm. 11 – 12. QM # G 466005 from OTI 53, peripheral (11) and umbilical (12) views. Scale bar = 50 µm. 1 3 – 14. QM # G 466139 from ST / HW 10, peripheral (13) and umbilical (14) views. Scale bar = 50 µm. 15 – 17. Epistomaroides polystomelloides (Parker & Jones, 1865), QM # G 466009 from OTI 48. Scale bar = 200 µm. 15. Spiral view. 16. Umbilical view. 17. Peripheral view. 18 – 20. Epistomaroides punctatus (Said, 1949) 18 – 19. QM # G 465796 from T 2 – 3. 18. Spiral view. 19. Peripheral view. 20. QM # G 466014 from T 1 – 10, peripheral / spiral view.

FIGURE 21. (Unless otherwise specified all scale bars = 100 µm). 1 – 6. Epistomaroides punctatus (Said 1949). 1 – 2. QM # G 466014 from T 1 – 10 umbilical (1) and peripheral (2) views. 3 – 4. QM # G 466013 from T 1 – 10, peripheral spiral (3) and umbilical (4) views. Scale bar = 200 µm. 5 – 6. QM # G 465885 from ST / HW 4, umbilical (5) and peripheral (6) views. Scale bar = 200 µm. 7 – 12. Cymbaloporella tabellaeformis (Brady, 1884). 7 – 8. QM # G 466011 from OTI 48, spiral (7) and peripheral (8) views. 9 – 10. QM # G 465991 from OTI 51 peripheral (9) and umbilical (10) views. Scale bar for 9 = 50 µm. 11 – 12. QM # G 466084 from OTI 51 spiral (11) and umbilical (12) views. 13 – 17. Cymbaloporetta bradyi (Cushman, 1915). 13. QM # G 465886 from ST / HW 4, spiral view. 14. QM # G 465887 from ST / HW 4, umbilical view. 15. QM # G 465808 from T 2 – 3, umbilical view. 16 – 17. QM # G 466010 spiral (16) and peripheral (17) views. 18 – 20. Cymbaloporetta cf. C. grandis (Cushman, 1934), QM # G 466037 from T 2 – 1. 18. Peripheral view. 19. Peripheral / float chamber view. 20. Spiral view.