Suraqalatiidae Schlagintweit & Rashidi, 2018

Schlagintweit, Felix & Rashidi, Koorosh, 2018, Suraqalatia Brasieri Görmuş, Lawa & Nuaimy, 2017 (Larger Benthic Foraminifera; Suraqalatiidae N. Fam.) From The Late Maastrichtian Of The Tarbur Formation (Zagros Fold-Thrust-Belt) And Remarks On Dicyclina Munier-Chalmas, 1887, Acta Palaeontologica Romaniae 14 (1), pp. 21-29 : 22

Family Suraqalatiidae Schlagintweit & Rashidi n. fam.

Diagnosis: Test low-conical to almost flat with a reduced probably low trochospiral stage followed by an uncoiled main part with annular chambers. Marginal part of chambers with exoskeleton consisting of series of fine beams and rafters, covered externally by a thin epiderm. The exoskeleton forms a dense polygonal subepidermal network becoming coarser towards the chamber interior. The inner part of the chambers is undivided (no endoskeleton). Test wall agglutinating. Foramina multiple.

Remarks. Discussing the suprageneric position, the genus Suraqalatia was placed in the family Dicyclinidae Munier-Chalmas by Görmüş et al. (2017). The authors (p. 365) also state that "dicyclinid forms include a tiny proloculus" contrasting other forms such as Orbitopsella or Orbitolina . This statement is incorrect and does not take into account the results of Cherchi & Schroeder (1990a, b) as will be shown later in the text (see chapter on Dicyclina ). Loeblich and Tappan (1987) and Kaminski (2014) separated two families, the Cuneolinidae Saidova (genera with conical, compressed or not, to flabelliform tests: Cuneolina , Palaeolituonella , Pseudotextulariella , Vercorsella ) and the Dicyclinidae Loeblich & Tappan (genus with cyclic chambers: Dicyclina ). According to the emendation of Arriaga et al. (2016, p. 19), the Cuneolinidae Saidova are considered a synonym of Dicyclinidae , "because the differences in test shape of the adult forms are not considered a criterion sufficient to erect two separate families. The family is characterized by biserial arrangement of the chambers, reticular subepidermal network, and absence of an endoskeleton". The chamber arrangement in Suraqalatia is not biserial as in the Dicyclinidae and instead is cyclical-concentric, thereby excluding its belonging to the Dicyclinidae . Note that for genera that share the same type of exoskeleton covered by the epiderm (forming a polygonal subepidermal network), differences in the chamber arrangement are considered a suprageneric criterion: "planispiral to uncoiled, peneropliform or cyclical ( Spirocyclinidae ); biserial ( Dicyclinidae ); low trochospiral ( Dictyopsellidae )" ( Albrich et al., 2015, p. 265). Representatives of the Spirocyclinidae with cyclic (ring-shaped) chambers have a discoidal flattened test; in the Suraqalatiidae test is low-conical with annular (ring-shaped) chambers. The early growth stage of the Spirocyclinidae displays planispirally arranged chambers. Concerning the exoskeleton, the comparably long (primary) beams protruding widely into the chamber lumen of Suraqalatia are worth mentioning. For the moment being the Suraqalatiidae only include the name-giving genus Suraqalatia Görmüş, Lawa & Al Nuaimy, 2017 . The inadequate knowledge on the initial part of Suraqalatia respectively the megalospheric embryo, and the distributional pattern of the multiple foramina hinders a further specification in the family diagnosis for the time being.