PALEONTOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY LINEAGES OF THE DIAGNOSTIC BENTHIC FORAMINIFERAL GENUS ORTHOKARSTENIA

This work is focused on the members of the Late Cretaceous-Early Paleogene (K-Pg) diagnostic benthic foraminiferal genus Orthokarstenia which is regionally important in paleontology and stratigraphic correlations. The large number of tests available and the rapid morphologic changes, offer an opportunity to study evolutionary changes in these foraminiferal taxa over a time span of about 25 m. y. (75-50 Ma). Six species of the genus Orthokarstenia are presented: O. applinae, O. eleganta, O. esnehensis, O. higazyi, O. nakkadyi and O. oveyi, which were recorded in eight localities in the Southern Tethys: Nigeria, Tunisia, Egypt (central and north Africa), Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran and Pakistan (southwest Asia). Evolutionary changes of them are indicated by such criteria, such as changes in the test-size, chambers arrangement, type of sutures, periphery or surface ornamentation. These changes help to define the major faunal change of the Campanian/Maastrichtian (C/M) boundary, K/Pg boundary, and can used in biostratigraphic subdivisions and correlations based on benthic foraminifera, beside planktic foraminiferal zonation.