Scottish nearshore monothalamid Foraminifera (Rhizaria): Description of five new species and one new genus

Abstract

Henderson (2023) gave informal descriptions of several soft-walled, monothalamid foraminifera from intertidal zones in the Lorne area of northwest Scotland based on morphology. In the present study, we use a combination of morphological and molecular data to formally establish one new genus and five new monothalamid species from the same area. Lorneia sphaerica gen. & sp. nov. (monothalamid Clade D) has a spherical, coarsely agglutinated test containing magnetic particles and minute aperture-like openings distributed around the test. Lorneia ovalis gen. & sp. nov. (Clade D) has similar characteristics, but the test is oval, and there is a terminal aperture situated at each end. Psammophaga owensi sp. nov. (Clade E) has an oval, finely agglutinated test with a simple terminal aperture and intracellular magnetic particles. In Hilla brevis sp. nov. (Clade Y), the test is broadly oval and finely agglutinated with a reflective sheen and a large terminal aperture with a pronounced collar. Flaviatella zaninettiae sp. nov. (Clade Y) has an elongate, finely agglutinated test with a reflective sheen, a tubular terminal apertural structure, and distinctive yellow cytoplasm. Two species, Flexammina islandica Voltski and Pawlowski, 2015 and Ovammina opaca Dahlgren, 1962, are reported for the first time in Scottish coastal waters. This study underlines the importance and diversity of monothalamid foraminifera in coastal settings.