Conorbinella? libanica ( Saint-Marc, 1973 )

Simmons, Michael, Bidgood, Michael, Consorti, Lorenzo & Schlagintweit, Felix, 2025, A Review Of The Identity And Biostratigraphy Of Cenomanian “ Larger ” Benthic Foraminifera: Part 2 - The Order Loftusiida (Excluding The Suborder Orbitolinina), Acta Palaeontologica Romaniae 21 (1), pp. 103-192 : 165-166

Conorbinella? libanica ( Saint-Marc, 1973)

Figure 28

T 1973 Dictyopsella libanica n. sp. – Saint-Marc, p. 410, pl. 1-2; early Cenomanian, Lebanon.

1974 Dictyopsella libanica – Saint-Marc, p.221, pl. 1, figs. 12-18; late Albian, Lebanon.

? 1979 Dictyopsella sp. – Velić & Sokač, pl. 3, fig. 8; late Albian, Croatia.

1981 Dictyopsella libanica – Saint-Marc, pl. 1, figs. 8-10; late Albian, Lebanon.

? 1985 Dictyopsella sp. – Bilotte, pl. 4, fig. 2; Cenomanian, French Pyrenees.

? 1990 Dobrogelina ? cf. angulata – Bilotte & Pamouktchiev, pl. 1, figs. 5-10; Albian, Bulgaria.

? 2015 Dictyopsella cf. libanica – Schlagintweit et al., fig. 5h; early-middle Cenomanian, Spain.

? 2021 Dictyopsella sp. – Rineau et al., fig. 7k; late Cenomanian, southern France.

Reference Images: Saint-Marc (1973), pl. 1-2, p. 410. Taxonomy/Identity: First described as Dictyoconella libanica from the early Cenomanian of Lebanon by Saint-Marc (1973), he indicated (his new species has a “ system of shallow subepidermal blades ” (i.e., beams herein) with another “ system of blades more or less perpendicular to the previous ones …” (i.e., rafters herein) which are “ much less well developed ”. He went on to state that the combination of these groups of blades constituted “ a sketch of a network ”. Furthermore, he distinguished D. libanica from all known species of the genus by its “ poorly developed sub-epidermal network ”.

However, of Saint-Marc’s (1973) 45 illustrations, only one (pl. 1, fig. 1; the holotype) shows hints of a partial “network”. This led Loeblich & Tappan (1985b) to conclude that this lack of a distinctive subepidermal mesh justified the species’ removal from Dictyopsella and suggested that it “may be” a Conorbinella , a position we have tentatively followed here. However, the hint of at least a partial network does not therefore exclude assignment to Dictyopselloides .

Confident Stratigraphic Range: late Albian – middle Cenomanian.

Uncertain Stratigraphic Range: late Cenomanian.

The age range of this species is difficult to assess. Saint-Marc (1973) first recorded his new species from the early Cenomanian of Lebanon but subsequently restricted the species’ range to the late Albian (1974b; Table 3; 1981). Schlagintweit et al. (2015) recorded and illustrated a form Dictyopsella cf. libanica from the early-middle Cenomanian of the Altimira Formation of Spain. That specimen shows radial beams but no signs of rafters and no hint of any “mesh- like” subepidermal network and therefore the identity is questionable

It was recorded (but unillustrated) under the same name from the Mauddud Formation (late Albian-early Cenomanian) of the Northern Arabian Gulf by Awa (1987).

It was also recorded (as Dictyopsella libanica ) from the middle Cenomanian part of the Villa de Vés Formation of Spain by Vicedo et al. (2011) and from the late Cenomanian part of the Casa Medina Formation of Spain by Caus et al. (2009) but was unillustrated in both cases .

Berthou (1984) reports two taxa named as Dictyopsella cf. kiliani and Dictyopsella cf. libanica from the late Cenomanian – early Turonian of Portugal, but no illustration or description is provided (see also Crosaz-Galletti, 1979).

Geographic Distribution: Although not well known or widely recorded, the above references suggest a distribution in Mediterranean Neotethys.

Figures

Fig. 28. Representative illustrations of Conorbinella? libanica: a. Near axial view, Saint-Marc (1974, pl. 1, fig. 14, Lebanon); b. Subequatorial view, Saint-Marc (1974, pl. 1, fig. 15, Lebanon); c. Subequatorial view (holotype), Saint- Marc (1974, pl. 1, fig. 13, Lebanon); d. Subequatorial view (as Dictyopsella cf. libanica), Schlagintweit et al. (2015, fig. 5h, Spain); e. Near equatorial view, Schlagintweit (personal collection, Spain).