Saccamminidae Brady 1884

Saccamminidae Brady, 1884

According to conventional, morphology-based taxonomic systems (Loeblich & Tappan 1987; Sen Gupta 1999; Lee et al. 2000), the monothalamous foraminiferans are divided in taxa based on the test composition. Those with an organic test form the order Allogromiina while those with an agglutinating test form the order Textulariida. The textulariid superfamily Astrorhizacea is defined by an agglutinated test that is irregular, rounded, tubular or branching, nonseptate or with the interior only partially subdivided. It includes the family Saccamminidae in which the test is free or attached, globular or elongate; single or multiple, rounded or slitlike apertures are present. The subfamily Saccammininae Brady, 1884 commonly has a distinctive organic oral apparatus consisting of an ‘inward projecting tube enclosing a gel-like capsule’ (Loeblich & Tappan 1987; Lee et al. 2000). However, the systematic division of higher taxa based on morphology has little support from molecular studies (Pawlowski et al. 2002). We therefore recognise the family Saccamminidae only in order to provide a systematic context for our new taxa that is consistent with previous studies.