pforams@mikrotax - Pulleniatina obliquiloculata

Citation: Pulleniatina obliquiloculata (Parker & Jones, 1865)

Basionym: Pullenia sphaeroides var. obliqueloculata Parker & Jones, 1865

Synonyms:

Pu. antillensis (Bermudez 1960) [according to Parker (1967); Banner and Blow (1967); Kennett & Srinivasan 1983]
Pu. trochospira Hartono [according to Parker (1967); Banner and Blow (1967); Kennett & Srinivasan 1983]
Globigerina santamariaensis McCulloch (1977) [according to Brummer & Kucera 2022]

Variants:

Globigerina atlantis Bermudez 1961 [according to Brummer & Kucera 2022]
Pulleniatina okinawaensis Natori 1976 - forms without streptospiral final chamber [according to Brummer & Kucera 2022]

Distinguishing features:
Parent taxon (Pulleniatina): Compact streptospiral test with smooth cortical coating and large slit-like aperture
This taxon: Test large subspherical and streptospiral, rounded, aperture extending from umbilical area to periphery and onto spiral side.

Description

Trochospiral becoming streptospiral, very smooth surface, globular
Aperture: Umbilical-extraumbilical low archoften pustulate [Aze 2011, based on Kennett & Srinivasan 1983]
Coiling direction (in extant population): dextral

Nonspinose, porous and weakly cancellate, pustulose on the chamber shoulders around and within the aperture. In the terminal stage, test covered in a translucent non-porous cortex with a smooth reflective surface that can be degraded by diagenesis to a dull glossy sheen. Large, inflated test, subspherical; ventrally involute coiling, initially trochospiral, then streptospiral; 3 to 4 globular chambers in final whorl, moderately or rapidly increasing in size, final chamber sometimes flattened or undulatory. Chambers appressed and embracing, sutures gently curving, weakly depressed to indistinct beneath the dense cortex. Test lacks a true umbilicus because of the enveloping final chamber. Aperture a broad low arch extending to the equatorial periphery and sometimes onto the spiral side, often irregular; no lip but a thickened pustulose rim. Coiling exclusively dextral in Recent but variable downcore. [Pearson et al. 2025]

Test globose, initially trochospiral, later streptospiral almost involute, axial periphery broadly rounded, 4 to 5 broadly rounded chambers in the final whorl; sutures almost flush; surface smooth, granular in apertural areas; umbilicus covered; aperture a low arch, extending from umbilical area to periphery and onto spiral side.

Biogeography and Palaeobiology

Tropical to warm subtropical. Low latitudes [Aze et al. 2011, based on Kennett & Srinivasan (1983)]

In modern oceans an abundant, warm water, species [SCOR WG138]

Map of distribution from ForCenS database

Aze et al. 2011 ecogroup 3 - Open ocean thermocline. Based on light δ¹³C and relatively heavy δ¹⁸O. Sources cited by Aze et al. 2011 (appendix S3): Shackleton & Vincent (1978); Pearson & Shackleton (1995)

Pulleniatina obliquiloculata evolved from P. primalis via P. praecursor in the Early Pliocene Zone N19. Banner and Blow (1967) considered P. obliquiloculata finalis as the end member of the Pulleniatina lineage. We include P. finalis within P. obliquiloculata. Following Parker (1967) and Banner and Blow (1967), P. antillensis (Bermudez) and P. trochospira Hartono are considered junior synonyms of P. obliquiloculata.
From detailed ultrastructural studies, Burt and Scott (1975) suggested that P. obliquiloculata is spinose in the early part of its ontogeny.

Pulleniatina obliquiloculata intergrades with the Pulleniatina praecursor and P. finalis morphospecies as part of the same evolutionary lineage. Its distinction from both forms can be somewhat arbitrary because of full intergradation. [Pearson et al. 2025]

Molecular Genotypes recognised (data from PFR² database, June 2017). References: Ujiié & Lipps 2009; Ujiié et al. 2012; Seears et al. 2012; Ujiié & Ishitani 2016

Pulleniatina obliquiloculata (31 sequences)
Pulleniatina obliquiloculata I (93 sequences)
Pulleniatina obliquiloculata IIa (54 sequences)
Pulleniatina obliquiloculata IIb (93 sequences)

Most likely ancestor:
Pulleniatina praecursor - at confidence level 3 (out of 5). Data source: Kennett & Srinivasan 1983, fig 22; Aze et al. 2011;Brummer & Kucera 2022;Mcculloch 1977; Natori 1976; Pearson et al. 2025.
Likely descendants: Pulleniatina finalis; plot with descendants

Biostratigraphic distribution

Geological Range:
Last occurrence (top): Extant. Data source: present in the plankton (SCOR WG138)
First occurrence (base): within N19 zone (4.37-5.20Ma, base in Zanclean stage). Data source: Chaisson & Pearson (1997)

References:

Aze, T., et al. (2011). A phylogeny of Cenozoic macroperforate planktonic foraminifera from fossil data. Biological Reviews. 86: 900-927. gs

Banner, F. T. & Blow, W. H. (1967). The origin, evolution and taxonomy of the foraminiferal genus Pulleniatina Cushman, 1927. Micropaleontology. 13(2): 133-162. gs

Brady, H. B. (1884). Report on the Foraminifera dredged by H.M.S. Challenger, during the years 1873-1876. Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-1876. 9 (Zoology): 1-814. gs

Burt, B. J. & Scott, G. H. (1975). Spinosity and coiling geometry in Pulleniatina (Foraminiferida),. Journal of Foraminiferal Research. 5(3): 166-175. gs

Chaisson, W. P. & Pearson, P. N. (1997). Planktonic foraminifer biostratigraphy at Site 925: Middle Miocene–Pleistocene. Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results. 154: 3-31. gs

Kennett, J. P. & Srinivasan, M. S. (1983). Neogene Planktonic Foraminifera. Hutchinson Ross Publishing Co., Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. 1-265. gs

Lam, A. & Leckie, R. M. (2020a). Late Neogene and Quaternary diversity and taxonomy of subtropical to temperate planktic foraminifera across the Kuroshio Current Extension, northwest Pacific Ocean. Micropaleontology. 66(3): 177-268. gs

Loeblich, A. & Tappan, H. (1994). Foraminifera of the Sahul shelf and Timor Sea. Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research, Special Publication. 31: 1-661. gs O

Natori, H. (1976). Planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy and datum planes in the Late Cenozooic sedimentary sequence in Okinawa-jima, Japan. Progress in Micropaleontology. 214-243. gs

Norris, R. D. (1998). Planktonic foraminifer biostratigraphy: Eastern Equatorial Atlantic. Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results. 159: 445-479. gs O

Parker, W. K. & Jones, T. R. (1865). On some foraminifera from the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, including Davis Straits and Baffin's Bay. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. 155: 325-441. gs O

Parker, F. L. (1967). Late Tertiary biostratigraphy (planktonic foraminifera) of tropical Indo-Pacific deep-sea cores. Bulletins of American Paleontology. 52(235): 115203-. gs

Pearson, P. N. & Shackleton, N. J. (1995). Neogene multispecies planktonic foraminifer stable isotope record, Site 871, Limalok Guyot. Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results. 144: 401-410. gs

Pearson, P. N., Fabbrini, A. & Wade, B. S. (2025). Systematic taxonomy of Pulleniatina. Journal of Foraminiferal Research. 55(3): 245-275. gs

Postuma, J. A. (1971). Manual of planktonic foraminifera. Elsevier for Shell Group, The Hague. 1-406. gs

Seears, H. A., Darling, K. F. & Wade, C. M. (2012). Ecological partitioning and diversity in tropical planktonic foraminifera. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 12(54): 1-15. gs

Shackleton, N. J. & Vincent, E. (1978). Oxygen and carbon isotope studies in Recent Foraminifera from the southeast Indian Ocean. Marine Micropaleontology. 3: 1-13. gs

Siccha, M. & Kucera, M. (2017). ForCenS, a curated database of planktonic foraminifera census counts in marine surface sediment samples. Scientific Data. 4(1): 1-12. gs

Ujiié, Y. & Ishitani, Y (2016). Evolution of a planktonic foraminifer dur-ing environmental changes in the tropical oceans. PLoS One. 11: 1-x. gs

Ujiié, Y. & Lipps, J. H. (2009). Cryptic diversity in planktonic foraminifera in the northwest Pacific ocean. Journal of Foraminiferal Research. 39: 145-154. gs

Ujiié, Y., Asami, T., de Garidel-Thoron, T., Liu, H., Ishitani, Y. & de Vargas, C. (2012). Longitudinal differentiation among pelagic populations in a planktic foraminifer. Ecology and Evolution. 2: 1725-1737. gs

test outline:	Subcircular	chamber arrangement:	Trochospiral	edge view:	Equally biconvex	aperture:	Umbilical-extraumbilical
sp chamber shape:	Crescentic	coiling axis:	Low	periphery:	N/A	aperture border:	N/A
umb chbr shape:	Subtriangular	umbilicus:	Narrow	periph margin shape:	Broadly rounded	accessory apertures:	None
spiral sutures:	Flush	umb depth:	Shallow	wall texture:	Smooth	shell porosity:	Macroperforate: >2.5µm
umbilical or test sutures:	Flush	final-whorl chambers:	4-5	N.B. These characters are used for advanced search. N/A - not applicable

Pulleniatina obliquiloculata

Taxonomy

Description

Biogeography and Palaeobiology

Biostratigraphic distribution

References:

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