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Calcareous-Walled Microfossils

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Abstract

The calcareous-walled microfossils include foraminifera, ostracoda, coccolithophores and pteropods. The foraminifera are unicellular animals belonging to the Protista kingdom. Their tests generally range in size from 0.1 to 1.0 mm, but some of them attain a size of up to 10 cm. The ostracodes are microscopic crustaceans forming a distinct class, Ostracoda. Their carapaces are usually 0.5–2.0 mm long, but some forms reach a size of 30 mm. The coccolithophores are autotrophic nannoplankton belonging to the Haptophyta division (unicellular alga) that are generally <20 μ in size. The pteropods are marine, pelagic gastropods having aragonite shells. Their size usually ranges between 0.3 and 10 mm. The morphology, ecology and geologic distribution of these microfossils are discussed in this chapter. The foraminifera are discussed in further detail for their biology, classification and molecular systematics. An updated classification of foraminiferal orders is given and a key to their identification is provided. The representative benthic foraminifera from shallow marine, deep marine and reef environments and planktic foraminifera from polar to equatorial regions are illustrated. All the groups of microfossils are illustrated to explain their morphology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India

    Pratul Kumar Saraswati

  2. Department of Geology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

    M. S. Srinivasan

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  1. Pratul Kumar Saraswati
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  2. M. S. Srinivasan
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Saraswati, P.K., Srinivasan, M.S. (2016). Calcareous-Walled Microfossils. In: Micropaleontology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14574-7_6

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