New foraminifera from the Changhsingian (Upper Permian) of the Taurides (southern Turkey) with remarks on their evolutionary origins

Abstract Several new foraminiferal taxa are described from the Changhsingian carbonates of southern Turkey, and their evolutionary relationships are discussed within the middle to late Permian time frame. Comprising Retroseptellina , Septoglobivalvulina , and Paraglobivalvulinoides , Retroseptellininae n. subfam. originated in the Wordian with thin and dense microgranular walls and became diverse and abundant in Changhsingian strata. Paraglobivalvulina ? intermedia n. sp. appeared in the late Capitanian, survived into the Changhsingian, and gave way to completely involute tests of Paraglobivalvulininae. From the class Miliolata, Midiellidae n. fam., consisting of Midiella and Pseudomidiella , is characterized by sigmoidal coiling, and Pseudomidiella sahini n. sp. is probably the youngest known Changhsingian descendant. Glomomidiellopsis ? okayi n. sp., which is interpreted as an evolutionary link between Capitanian Hemigordiopsis and Lopingian Glomomidiellopsis , survived into the Changhsingian. In the class Nodosariata, from the fully coiled Robuloides lineage of Robuloididae, Robuloides lata n. sp. and Plectorobuloides taurica n. gen. n. sp. most likely originated from R . lens in the Changhsingian. The R . acutus lineage, characterized by the reduction of laterally thickened hyaline wall and the appearance of evolute coiling, yielded Robuloides ? rettorii n. sp. and Pseudorobuloides reicheli n. gen. n. sp. Calvezina anatolica n. sp. and Eomarginulinella galinae n. sp. are interpreted to have evolved from weakly coiled lineages in Robuloididae, whereas Pseudocryptomorphina amplimuralis n. gen. n. sp. is a poorly understood taxon and requires further study. Robustopachyphloia farinacciae n. sp. is interpreted as a descendant of some species within the genus Pachyphloia. The presence of canal-like pores in the wall of some Pachyphloia specimens is suggestive of a new morphological structure in the evolutionary history of the Changhsingian foraminifera.