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Vellaria zucchellii sp. nov. a new monothalamous foraminifer from Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2004

ANNA SABBATINI ,
JAN PAWLOWSKI ,
ANDREW J. GOODAY ,
STEFANO PIRAINO ,
SAMUEL S. BOWSER ,
CATERINA MORIGI  and
ALESSANDRA NEGRI
ANNA SABBATINI
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze del Mare, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Blanche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
JAN PAWLOWSKI
Affiliation:
Département de Zoologie et Biologie Animale, Université de Genève, 30, Quai Ernest-Ansermet, CH-1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
ANDREW J. GOODAY
Affiliation:
Southampton Oceanography Centre, DEEPSEAS Group, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
STEFANO PIRAINO
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche ed Ambientali, Università di Lecce, via per Monteroni s/n, 73100 Lecce, Italy
SAMUEL S. BOWSER
Affiliation:
Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, PO Box 509, Albany, NY 12201, USA
CATERINA MORIGI
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze del Mare, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Blanche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
ALESSANDRA NEGRI
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze del Mare, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Blanche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
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Abstract

Vellaria zucchellii sp. nov. is described from coastal sediment samples from Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica, 74°40′28.1″S, 164°04′11.6″E, Tethys Bay, 25 m depth). This organic-walled monothalamous (single chambered) foraminifer is characterized by a wide, prominent aperture that facilitates attachment to larger particles (small sand grains or other foraminiferal shells). It shares this feature with the two other known species of Vellaria, both of which were described from an Indian estuary. Phylogenetic analysis of small subunit rRNA gene sequences suggest that V. zucchellii is related to the genus Psammophaga. However, the new species lacks the mineral grain inclusions that are characteristic of Psammophaga. The description of this new organic-walled monothalamous foraminiferal species further documents the high taxonomic diversity of these delicate and abundant protists in the polar benthic communities.

Keywords

allogromiidspolar benthic communitiesmolecular systematicstaxonomic diversity
Type
Research Article
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , September 2004 , pp. 307 - 312
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 2004

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