Smaller foraminifers of the Lower Permian from Western Tethys

Abstract

Among the smaller foraminifers from the Lower Permian of Western Tethys (Pamir, Northern Afghanistan, Central and Eastern Iran, Armenia, and Turkey), foraminiferal assemblages characteristic of the Asselian, Sakmarian, Yakhtashian, Bolorian, and Kubergandian stages are distinguished. The first stratigraphic scheme based on smaller foraminifers is elaborated for the Lower Permian (Cisuralian Series) of Western Tethys. Eight biostratigraphic units distinguished in the Lower Permian and one in the Kubergandian Stage are ranked as beds with characteristic foraminiferal assemblages. At particular stratigraphic levels, the beds are recognizable in different paleogeographic provinces of the Tethyan Realm, which enables correlation between deposits concurrently accumulated under dissimilar climatic and facies conditions to be carried. Some of the distinguished beds are recognizable beyond the Tethyan Realm, for instance in the Donetsk basin, Cis-Urals, Pechora coal basin, and Spitsbergen. Among foraminifers that have been studied, 264 species and subspecies, including 16 new taxa, are identified. The following species and subspecies are identified and described for the first time: Hemigordius permicus beitepicus subsp. nov., H. pamiricus sp. nov., Neohemigordius afganicus sp. nov., N. carnicus sp. nov., N. bangi sp. nov., N. zulumarticus sp. nov., N. kubergandinicus sp. nov., Geinitzina grandella sp. nov., G. dentiformis sp. nov., G. bella sp. nov., Pachyphloia paraovata minima sp. nov., P. aucta sp. nov., Frondicularia porrecta sp. nov., Globivalvulina gigantea sp. nov., G. compacta sp. nov., and G. explicata sp. nov.