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Differences between the recent Soritidae Amphisorus, Marginopora and Sorites

Similarities
  • Tests: are flat, circular with numerous small chambers arranged in annular series. Apertures are located on the periphery.
  • Environment:carbonate, warm (18-26C), depth 0-60m, lagoons, nearshore, where they live loosely or permanently fixed to macro-algae, or coral rubbles. The high number of periphal apertures allow the attachment also in zones of strong currents or turbulances
  • Feeding: herbivore, with dinoflagellate symbionts in photic zone
  • Longevity is about one year
    • Differences

    Amphisorus

    Marginopora

    Sorites

    Aperture

    two rows of apertures in adult stage

    numerous apertural pores in the periphery

    a single row of eight-shaped foramina
    in adult stage two rows

    Size

    up to 15.000µm

    up to 10.000µm

    up to ?, smaller

    Test

    discoidal, biconcave

    discoidal, biconcave

    mainly discoidal, but following form of substrate, as permanently fixed from youth on

    Chamber arrangement

    proloculus followed by tubular enrolled second chamber

    ovate proloculus followed by cyclic chambers, without tubular enrolled second chamber

    proloculus followed by tubular enrolled second chamber of a nearly complete coil

    Images

    Amphisorus, Marsa Alam/Egypt
    2 rows of aperture, slightly biconcave, no imprint of substrate-surface

    Marginpora
    numerous pores, irregularly positioned

    Sorites, Malia/Crete/Greece
    typical 8-shaped apertures and substrate related test form

    Regional Distribution

    Indo-Pacific, not Caribbean

    mainly Pacific + Seychelles + Malidives, absent East coast of Africa

    circum-tropical including Mediterranean


    Sources
  • Loeblich and Tappan, Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part C, C496-C498
  • Murray,J.: Ecology and Applications of Benthic Foraminifera. Cambridge University Press 2006
  • Saraswati, Pratul Kumar: Growth and habitat of some recent miliolid foraminifera: Palaeoecological implications.in Current Science Vol 82 No. 1 2002