Loftusia persica: an Eocene Lazarus occurrence?

• Main Authors: BouDagher-Fadel, MK, Price, GD
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MICROPALEONTOLOGY PRESS 2009
• Subjects: Planktonic foraminifera
• Online Access: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/99078/1/99078_MS.pdf; https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/99078/2/99078_Fig._1.pdf; https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/99078/3/99078_Fig._2.pdf; https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/99078/4/99078_Plate_1.pdf; https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/99078/5/99078_Plate_2.pdf; https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/99078/6/99078_Plate_3.pdf; https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/99078/7/99078_Plate_4.pdf; https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/99078/

A specimen of Loftusia persica Brady is described that contains as a part of its inner test a specimen of Turborotalia pomeroli (Toumarkine and Both), which is a very distinctive Middle to Late Eocene planktonic foraminifera. Although originally described as a "Tertiary" form, more recently Loftusia persica has been considered to be restricted to the Maastrichtian. A number of scenarios that could have led to the inclusion of an Eocene planktonic foraminifera deep within the test of a specimen of Loftusia are discussed, and it is concluded that the most probable interpretation is that Loftusia persica reappeared as a "Lazarus" species in the Eocene having survived the Cretaceous-Paleocene mass extinction, but was eventually driven to extinction by the orogeny that led to the formation of the Zagros Mountains.