Strong, C.P. 1984 Triassic foraminifera from Southland Syncline, New Zealand. Wellington: DSIR. New Zealand Geological Survey paleontological bulletin 52 63 p.
Abstract: A total of 84 species and subspecies of foraminifera, representing 32 genera, 17 subfamilies, and 12 families, are described from Triassic rocks of the Murihiku Supergroup in the Southland Syncline. They constitute the largest Triassic foraminiferal fauna yet reported from the Southern Hemisphere and a fauna comparable in diversity and preservation to the best Northern Hemisphere faunas. Three species are described as new: , and . Most of the foraminifera are from rocks of the Otamitan Stage (middle Upper Triassic), but at least a few specimens have been recovered from all New Zealand stages except for the Warepan (Upper Triassic) and the Malakovian (Lower Triassic). Nodosarids dominate in all assemblages. Agglutinated species are commonly present in small numbers. All foraminiferal assemblages are probably representative of shallow to intermediate shelf water depths, as indicated by associated macrofossils and lithologies. The fauna consists of cosmopolitan species together with a number of probable endemic forms. The actual degree of endemism is uncertain because of poor worldwide knowledge of similar Triassic foraminiferal faunas and the presence of many non-distinctive species. Similar, high paleolatitudes may account for many similarities between comparable New Zealand and Northern Hemisphere faunas which are reported from Alaska, north-central Europe, and north-central Siberia. Extensions of previously reported stratigraphic ranges into the Triassic may be indicated for the following taxa (previously known occurrences in parentheses): and (Cretaceous); (Upper Jurassic); , and (Lower Jurassic or Liassic); (Upper Permian); and the genera and (Jurassic-Recent). (auth)
