STRATIGRAPHY, TAXONOMICAL CONSIDERATION AND EVOLUTIONARY TRENDS OF FUTYAN BENTHIC FORAMINIFERAL JORDANIAN SPECIES

Abstract

Two hundred and twenty-seven Maastrichtian-Early Paleogene benthic foraminiferal species were recorded from three widely separated surface Jordanian sections: Wadi Arab in the north, Muwaqqar in the center, and Tell Burma in the south. Forty-two species and subspecies were listed. Fifteen diagnostic species of them are treated by him as new species, which recorded and illustrated in this study. The paleogeographic distribution of them in some other countries in the Southern Tethys are recorded: United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Tunisia, Tanzania and Angola. One of the original species of Futyan: Siphogenerinoides elnaggari is considered here as a junior synonym of another species Orthokarstenia higazyi (Nakkady). The paratype of the recorded species Vaginulinopsis wadiarabensis Futyan is considered recently, by the present author, as a new genus and species: Lenticuzonaria hodae, while the holotype of it was regarded to be the holotype of the new genus Percultalina. As a token of appreciation of his outstanding career and faunal contributions, one species was recently erected: Pseudoclavulina futyani. Most of the recorded species (10 species) are endemic to Jordan, while others were recorded in other countries in the Southern Tethys. Most of these species are used to introduce an evolutionary trend marked by changes in the morphology and other characters of these benthic foraminiferal test. The Jordanian assemblage indicates an open marine environment, which represents middle-outer neritic environment (100 m ~ 200 m depth) and shows an affinity with Midway-Type Fauna (MTF).