Thirty new records of marine benthic Foraminifera from Korean waters

Abstract

As a part of a survey of indigenous biological resources of Korea, 30 marine benthic foraminiferal species belonging to 24 genera and seven orders (Astrorhizida, Lagenida, Lituolida, Miliolida, Robertinida, Rotaliida and Textulariida) were identified. Bottom sediment samples were collected from eight stations on the west and east coast of South Korea, in April 2015 and May 2016, respectively. Ten species belonging to nine genera and five orders (Lagenida, Lituolida, Robertinida, Rotaliida, Textulariida) were identified in the Yellow Sea. Among these taxa, Rotaliida was the dominant order, represented by four species: Evolvocassidulina tenuis (Phleger & Parker, 1951), Cibicides mabahethi Said, 1949, Cibicides pseudolabatulus Perelis & Reiss, 1975 and Cibicidoides barnetti Bermudez, 1949. Twenty species belonging to 15 genera and five orders (Astrorhizida, Lagenida, Lituolida, Miliolida, and Rotaliida) were identified from the East Sea and the Lagenida was the dominant order, represented by 11 species: Lagena strumosa Reuss, 1858, Lagena nebulosa (Cushman, 1923), Lagena striata var. semiornata Reuss, 1863, Procerolagena cylindrocostata Albani & Yassini, 1989, Fissurina bispinata Ujiié, 1963, Oolina laevigata d’Orbigny, 1839, Polymorphina amplissima McCulloch, 1977, Polymorphina subelliptica McCulloch, 1977, Guttulina succincta McCulloch, 1977, Guttulina neoproblema McCulloch, 1977 and Lagenosolenia obtecta McCulloch, 1977. The findings described here increased the number of foraminiferal species in Korea to approximately 1060, and contribute to our understanding of the diversity of foraminifera in Korean waters.