Nodulina kuhnti n. Sp. and nodulina eugubina n. Sp., New Agglutinated Foraminifera from the Lower Paleocene of the Scaglia Rossa, Umbria–Marche Basin, Italy

Abstract

Abstract This paper describes two Paleogene deep-water agglutinated foraminiferal species from the Contessa Highway Section of the Umbria–Marche Basin, Italy. The foraminiferal assemblages in the lowermost Paleogene are dominated by opportunistic species belonging to the Reophax group. Previous studies of the agglutinated foraminifera from the Scaglia Rossa Formation have reported hormosinids (Reophax spp.) mostly using open nomenclature. To facilitate the proper species assignment according to accurate species descriptions, we describe the new species Nodulina kuhnti n. sp. and Nodulina eugubina n. sp. Both species are characterized by their more or less straight elongated tests with horizontal sutures, and therefore are best assigned to the genus Nodulina. They constitute a significant component of the benthic foraminiferal assemblage in the stratigraphic interval above the K/Pg boundary.