Taxonomic and architectural remarks on Anatoliella Sirel, 1998 (Paleocene larger benthic foraminifera) and the Anatoliellidae Sirel, 2013

Abstract

Anatoliella Sirel (type species A. ozalpiensis) was described from the Paleocene of Turkey as an agglutinated conical-trochospiral larger benthic foraminifera displaying a complex exoskeleton (reticulate network) and endoskeletal pillars, originally ascribed to the Ataxophragmiidae. Later, Anatoliella has been included in the eponymous family Anatoliellidae Sirel characterized, alongside other features, by a complex exoskeleton (beams and rafters) and an endoskeleton consisting of thick pillars. A reinvestigation of Anatoliella, based on the original illustrations and specimens from the Paleocene of Iran, reveals a different test structure. We conclude that the pillars recognized by Sirel in longitudinal sections must instead be referred either to first order vertical partitions (beams) in shallow tangential sections, or to a central helicospiral columella in axial sections, leading to an emendation of the diagnosis of the genus. Consequently, the diagnosis of the family Anatoliellidae is also emended because of these new structural observations. A new suprageneric classification for Anatoliella and the allied genus Gyroconulina Schroeder & Darmoian is put for discussion.