New species of Cenozoic benthic foraminifera from the former British Petroleum micropalaeontology collection

. This paper describes four new Cenozoic, deep-water benthic foraminifera from the reference collections at the Natural History Museum in London. The focus is on selected calcareous taxa that are of stratigraph-ical and/or palaeoecological signiﬁcance for academic and industrial-related activities. signiﬁcance


Introduction
Museum collections often contain a wealth of unstudied material in need of attention. Combined with an industrial collection containing material from continuous deposits that is out of reach for the general scientist, the potential for discovery is great. The former British Petroleum micropalaeontology collection was acquired by the Natural History Museum in London in 1992, when the collection was deemed surplus to requirements due to changes in the business practices at British Petroleum. This collection contains a vast and comprehensive array of material from approximately 3800 wells (exploration, appraisal and production) in association with ∼ 800 outcrop sequences collected from the late 1950s until 1991. Associated with the well and outcrop sequences are individual taxonomic collections, such as Walter Blow's Cenozoic planktonic foraminifera collection (Blow, 1979). In this study the authors describe specimens from the regional reference collections that were collated by British Petroleum palaeontologists as they worked on particular regions and other specific projects. The specimens within these collections are mostly informal types that were used as references for the key biostratigraphical markers encountered in their routine analysis. Although there were attempts to put the cor-rect scientific name to the most of the taxa in these type collections, many were still left with open nomenclature.
The focus of this study is Cenozoic material from the northwestern European reference collection, more specifically the North Sea region, which constituted much of British Petroleum's business interests during the time that the collection was compiled. Following a recent reclassification of over 3000 slides and ∼ 33 000 specimens that form the NW European reference collection, a number of taxa were found in need of immediate formal classification, whilst others were identified that were in need of closer examination before formal descriptions are assigned. These latter taxa will be the focus of later studies.
This study presents four new benthic foraminiferal taxa from the Cenozoic that are formally described from the former British Petroleum micropalaeontology collection. These are significant due to their biostratigraphical and potentially palaeoenvironmental importance, both of which will be discussed.

Materials
The specimens are housed at the Natural History Museum in London as part of the former British Petroleum mi-Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of The Micropalaeontological Society. cropalaeontology collection. The specimens were registered electronically during the recent reclassification through the Natural History Museum database, and details are available through the online portal at http://data.nhm.ac.uk. Specimens and material are available on request through the relevant curators. Many of the processed sample residues for the well runs are available; a spreadsheet with information is also available on request.
Light microscope images were taken using a Nikon SMZ25 stereoscopic zoom microscope and a Nikon DS-Fi2 digital camera. SEM images were taken using uncoated specimens on a LEO 1455 VP scanning electron microscope.

Systematics
We present systematic data (descriptions, synonymies, biogeography and palaeoecologies) that were assembled from primary research, the micropalaeontological literature and consultation with specialists. Brief geological context is also provided, where available, for the wells and outcrops in which the type specimens were found. The taxonomic classification follows Loeblich Jr. and Tappan (1987)  Diagnosis: Test small; forms small lenticular trochospire; nearly biconvex in cross section. The spiral side is evolute; the umbilical side involute with a closed umbilicus. The 5-6 crescent-shaped chambers in the final whorl gradually increase in size. Sutures are flush or slightly depressed, radial and slightly curved on the umbilical side. Chamber walls are calcareous and finely perforate. The primary aperture is an interiomarginal extraumbilical narrow slit with a thin lip. The diameter is between 100 and 150 µm.
Remarks: Alabamina heyae differs from Alabamina dissonata in the absence of a keel and the presence of fewer chambers in the final whorl.
Remarks: The affinities of this species are uncertain. In gross morphology it resembles Elphidium latidorsatum (Reuss; see Murray and Wright, 1974, Plate 12, Fig. l) but lacks the septal bridges of Elphidium. It is here assigned to Nonion; there is considerable similarity to N. parvulum (Grzybowski), as figured by Murray and Wright (1974, Plate 13, Figs. 14-15), but their specimen may be incorrectly referred to Grzybowski's species. It occurs commonly in probable bathyal environments in the central North Sea, often associated with the non-calcareous agglutinating foraminifera of the "Rhabdammina biofacies". This species was described by King (1983King ( , 1989 and is used as a zonal marker for the late Oligocene (Zone NSB8) sediments from numerous wells in the North Sea. Six specimens exist in the BP NWE collection and given the stratigraphic importance of this taxon, there is considerable value in proceeding to a formal description of it.  Etymology: The easy-to-remember informal name of "Nonion onion" was used as a working name by the authors and therefore the Latin translation was adopted for the formal naming.  Fig. 30 Uvigerina sp. A King, 1989, p. 481, Plate 9.9, Fig. 16 Diagnosis: Test large, triserial, broadly fusiform, chambers ornamented with around 6-8 thick rounded costae, tending to cross sutures; tending to become uniserial. The aperture is situated on a short smooth neck. Specimens generally uniform in size; length ∼ 400 µm, width ∼ 200 µm.
Remarks: This large and distinctive species has previously been referred to as U . cf. hemmooriensis by King (1989, p. 485) and is illustrated by King (1983, p. 26). This species is characteristic in a thin interval within the upper part of the Middle Miocene in the southern and central North Sea where it is usually associated with Siphonina reticulata. Its highest occurrence defines the top of benthic foraminifera Zone NSB12; this zone is recognizable in only the outer sublittoral-epibathyal biofacies of the central North Sea (King, 1983). Uvigerina kingi n. sp. does not conform with the descriptions of any other Miocene species or otherwise. U. kingi n. sp. differs from U. hemmooriensis (Daniels and Spiegler, 1977) by having fewer and more rounded ribs per whorl. U. kingi n. sp. also lacks an apertural tooth, which is characteristic for U. hemmooriensis. Diagnosis: Test small, involute, planispiral, elongate in outline, and strongly compressed in cross section with a keeled periphery. The test consists of a single whorl containing 4-5 moderately inflated triangular chambers, increasing rapidly in size. Chambers are separated by slightly curved, flush or raised sutures fusing into a large umbilical boss. Keel becomes thicker in final chamber. Chamber walls are calcareous, perforate and smooth. The primary aperture is terminal and forms an elongated slot. Specimens range in size from 200 to 300 µm in length and 100 to 150 µm wide.
Remarks: Lenticulina stewarti n. sp. bears a resemblance to Vaginulinopsis mexicana but lacks the radiate aperture typical of this genus. This taxa was placed into the genus Lenticulina due to the "slot-like" terminal aperture.
Distribution: Currently restricted to the immediate area around the type locality, but believed to have a wider geographical distribution which has yet to be established.
Etymology: Named in honour of Dr Ian Stewart, Distinguished Exploration Advisor at BP, without whom this study could not have taken place.

Summary
This study highlights the importance of both museum and industrial collections for their vast potential for new publishable data, including new taxa and material from restricted and no-longer-accessible locations. Four new species of deep-water benthic foraminifera from the Cenozoic in northwestern Europe are described from the extensive reference collections at the Natural History Museum in London. These benthic foraminifera are important for their biostratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental value; hence their overdue and formalized taxonomic descriptions. Data availability. Type and figured material is deposited at the Natural History Museum, London, where it available for inspection upon request.