Stratigraphic record of Eponides Montfort 1808 (benthic Foraminifera) through the Paleocene carbonates of the northern Neotethys margin

Abstract

In the former northern Neotethys margin where Paleocene shallow-water limestone successions crop out (Austria, Turkey and Iran), morphotypes closely resembling Eponides have been recognized. These foraminifers are lamellar-perforated, with a trochospirally arranged set of trapezoidal chambers.We have tested their generic identification through a detailed architectural analysis of thin sections of carbonate rocks in which Eponides-like specimens have abundantly been recovered. This study shows the occurrence of bipartitor, arched septa and a pseudoumbilicus formed by the fusion of ventral ends of chambers. These features allow us to identify the specimens as Eponides, although the specific attribution has not been attempted. The evolutionary pattern displayed by the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic Eponides and phylogenetically-related allies is briefly discussed.