A report of three newly recorded benthic foraminiferal species from Korea

Abstract

Foraminifera are unicellular eukaryotes widely distributed in marine and transitional marine environments. They play important roles in marine food webs and geochemical cycles and have physiological properties like the formation of calcareous tests and nitrogen respiration. Research on species diversity, distribution and endemism are essential in biogeography and biodiversity conservation. Here, we report three unrecorded species of foraminifera (Hemirotalia foraminulosa, Planispirillina denticulogranulata and Oolina brevisolenia) collected from Jeju Island and the South Sea (Korea). Planispirillina denticulogranulata is the second Planispirillina species recorded in Korea, which can be distinguished from congeners by its tubercles on the ventral side and grooves on the spiral suture. Hemirotalia foraminulosa is differentiated from the only congener H. calvifacta by multiple-scattered pits on the umbilicus, and it is the first report of Hemirotalia from Korean water. Oolina brevisolenia has specific bifurcating costae that characterize it from other congeners. This study contributes to documentation of the foraminiferal biodiversity in Korea, moreover, provides an essential basis for the expanded studies on modern foraminifera.