<i>Psammophaga secriensia</i> sp. nov., a New Monothalamid Foraminifera (Protista, Rhizaria) from the Romanian Black Sea Shelf

Abstract

Based on molecular and morphological characters, we describe a new species of monothalamous foraminifera, Psammophaga secriensia sp. nov., that was sampled from two coastal locations (48 m and 53 m depth) on the Romanian Black Sea continental shelf. Molecular data further confirm its presence in the northeastern part of the Black Sea (Balaklava Bay, 5–10 m depth). Specimens of Psammophaga secriensia sp. nov. are characterized by an elongate to broadly pyriform test and a simple rounded aperture. The wall is translucent and the cytoplasm contains mineral grains of different sizes. The genus Psammophaga, including Psammophaga simplora and several undetermined morphotypes, has been reported from different areas of the Black Sea. Previous research using an integrative taxonomic approach has identified two additional species (Psammophaga zirconia; Psammophaga sp., Gooday et al., 2011) occurring in the Black Sea. Monothalamids are an important part of the meiobenthos in the Black Sea and our results increase the knowledge of foraminiferal diversity in this marginal sea.

Keywords

• <i>Psammophaga</i>
• new species
• Black Sea
• SSU rRNA
• protist
• diversity