Volume 18, Issue 48 (2-2007)
Abstract
Tubiphtes morronensis has been regarded as a community consisting of foraminifera (miliolid) and an overgrowth of some kind of algae or cyanobacteria. Although occurring in a wide variety of different facies, Tubiphtes morronensis represents a valuable marker fossil for environmental conditions. This is due to the ability of these foraminifera to adapt to different conditions by developing different growth forms. Important feature is the thickness of the outer test, apparently depending on the amount of light available for the algal symbiont. Shallow-water tests may show diameters of more than 1 mm, whereas the diameter of the outer test of deeper water forms strongly tends towards zero. In the Esfandiar Limestone Formation, the diameter of Tubiphtes morronensis is 0.7 mm to 1 mm and shows adaptations to shallow water environments.
