Quinqueloculina

Mamo, Briony L., 2016, Benthic Foraminifera from the Capricorn Group, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Zootaxa 4215 (1), pp. 1-123 : 49-51

Quinqueloculina sp. 4 ( Fig. 11 :3–5)

Description. Elongate, quinqueloculine test with sharp, carinate margins and weak, irregular corrugations. Test wall weakly convex with rough texture due to faint, short, parallel striae. Both aboral and oral ends produced. Semi-circular, terminal aperture with thin peristomal lip located atop a short neck. Aperture with a single, short tooth.

Remarks. Quinqueloculina sp. 4 is similar to Q. sulcata from the Papuan Lagoon ( Haig 1988) in regards to the roughened wall texture and elongated test with carinate and slightly corrugated edges. However, the oral end of Haig’s (1988) specimens are more produced, forming a long, slender neck with a narrow aperture that bears bifid dentition. The same is true of specimens described by Hatta & Ujiié (1992b) from the Ryukyu Island Arc as Q. polygona . These specimens also possess a roughened wall texture and an elongate test with carinate edges. However, Hatta & Ujiié’s (1992b) Q. polygona do not have a crenulated periphery, the aboral test is produced to a point and the aperture is also produced atop a long, slender neck. Parker (2009) synonymised Q. sulcata sensu Haig (1988) and Q. polygona sensu Hatta & Ujiié (1992b) , together along with Quinqueloculina sp. cf. Q. socorroensis McCulloch 1977 from Ningaloo Reef. The specimens described by Parker (2009) have an elongate test with roughened walls and carinate edges. Some of Parker’s (2009) specimens also have weak corrugations like those collected from the CG, but Q. socorroensis from Ningaloo Reef has a long produced, slender neck that ends in a broad aperture with a distinctly short, but wide, flaring, Y-shaped bifid tooth.

Quinqueloculina sp. 4 always lacks a long, slender neck and bifid dentition ( Fig. 11 :3, 4). In comparison to other species, this species most closely resembles Quinqueloculina sp. 7, Q. subpolygana and Quinqueloculina sp. 1. However, Quinqueloculina sp. 7 has a more compressed test and it also has a long, slender neck with a small circular aperture which Quinqueloculina sp. 4 lacks. Quinqueloculina subpolygona has a broader test that tends to be less compressed and lacks crenulations on the peripheral carina. It also has a Lachlanella -type aperture.

Distribution within study area. This species was not found in great abundance across the sampled area, with no more than six specimens collected per site. The greatest abundance was found at sites 51 and 53 in One Tree Lagoon 2 and site 2 in Wistari Lagoon. This species was absent from Sykes Reef and was only collected from three sites along transect 3 across Heron Reef flat.

Figures

FIGURE 11. (Unless otherwise specified all scale bars = 100 µm). 1 – 2. Quinqueloculina sp. 3, QM # G 465918 from WL 1. 1. Lateral view. 2. Oral view. 3 – 5. Quinqueloculina sp. 4, QM # G 465831 from OTI 39. 3. Lateral view. 4. Oral view. 5. Peripheral view. 6 – 7. Quinqueloculina sp. 5, QM # G 465782 from ST / HW 2. 6. Lateral view, scale bar = 200 µm. 7. Oral view, scale bar = 200 µm. 8 – 9. Quinqueloculina sp. 6, QM # G 465910 from T 3 – 2. 8. Lateral view. 9. Peripheral view. 10 – 11. Quinqueloculina sp. 7, QM # G 465951 from S 8. 10. Lateral view, scale bar = 500 µm. 11. Close-up lateral view, scale bar = 50 µm. 12 – 15. Miliolinella circularis (Bornemann, 1855). 12 – 13. QM # G 465898 from ST / HW 10, lateral (12) and oral (13) views. 14 – 15. QM # G 465980 from OTI 54, lateral (14) and oral (15) views. 16 – 17. Miliolinella sp. 1, QM # G 465944 from OTI 20. 16. Lateral view. 17. Oral view. 18 – 20. Miliolinella sp. 2, QM # G 465901 from ST / HW 10. 18. Lateral view. 19. Lateral view. 20. Oral view.