Hauerina d'Orbigny 1839

Hauerina d’Orbigny 1839

Hauerina earlandi Rasheed 1971 (Fig. 7:11–14)

1915 Miliolina circularis (Bornemann) var. cribostoma Heron-Allen & Earland, p. 558, pl. 41, figs 12–16. 1971 Hauerina earlandi Rasheed, p. 54, pl. 16, fig. 7.

1988 Miliola earlandi (Rasheed); Haig, p. 220, pl. 2, figs 8, 9.

2009 Hauerina earlandi Rasheed; Parker, p. 107, fig. 74a–k.

2012 Hauerina earlandi Rasheed; Debenay, p. 108, pl. 4.

Description. See Heron-Allen & Earland (1915, p. 558, pl. 41, figs 12–16) and Parker (2009, p. 107, fig. 74a–k).

Remarks. This species has globular-like chambers with sigmoiline to planispiral coiling. The test is smooth with depressed sutures and the aperture is a complex trematophore that protrudes from the last chamber and varies greatly in size, shape and intricacy. It is this ornate trematophore that is diagnostic of Hauerina and separates it from Quinqueloculina and Miliolinella. Hauerina earlandi Rasheed 1971 can be distinguished from all other Hauerina species by its greatly inflated chambers (Fig. 7:11–14).

Heron-Allen & Earland’s (1915) original publication reported this species from the Kerimba Archipelago, Mozambique and has since been reported from the western Pacific and Western Australia (New Guinea—Rasheed 1971 and Haig 1988; Ningaloo Reef—Parker 2009; New Caledonia—Debenay 2012).

Distribution within study area. Hauerina earlandi was the most abundant species of this genus from the CG with up to 24 specimens collected per lagoon sample but was absent from Heron Reef flat, Sykes Reef and channel samples. The greatest abundance was found at site 8 in Heron Lagoon and site 1 in One Tree Lagoon 1.

Hauerina pacifica Cushman 1917 (Fig. 7:15–18)

1917 Hauerina pacifica Cushman, p. 64.

1958 Hauerina pacifica Cushman, rugosa n. subsp. Collins, p. 367, pl. 3, fig. 11. 1975 Hauerina pacifica Cushman; Ponder, p. 19, figs 51–65. 1987 Hauerina pacifica Cushman; Baccaert, p. 145, pl. 63, figs 4–6. 1997 Hauerina sp.; Haig, p. 270, fig. 3: 19.

2009 Hauerina pacifica Cushman; Parker, p. 109, figs 76a–c, 77a–m, 78a–j. 2012 Hauerina pacifica Cushman; Debenay, p. 108, pl. 4.

Description. See Ponder (1975, p. 19, figs 51–65) and Parker (2009, p. 109, figs 76a–c, 77a–m, 78a–j).

Remarks. These specimens were assigned to Hauerina pacifica Cushman 1917 due to the irregular suboval robust test with early quinqueloculine chamber arrangement later becoming planispiral. More distinct is its trematophore aperture with numerous, irregularly arranged pores that are diagnostic of this species (Fig. 7:16). As also noted by Parker (2009) and Haig (1997), most collected specimens were not fully mature forms and lacked some of the defining characteristics of mature tests including the compressed test shape and fully developed outer spiroloculine chamber arrangement (Fig. 7:15, 17).

Hauerina pacifica was originally reported by Cushman (1917) from Nero Station, just off the Hawaiian Islands, from a depth of 44 m. Collins (1958), Ponder (1975) and Baccaert (1987) all reported this species from the GBR. However, Collins (1958) reported H. pacifica Cushman var. rugosa from the GBR which Parker (2009) subsequently synonymised with H. pacifica. Ponder (1975) reported H. pacifica as an uncommon species on the continental shelf except from littoral and shallow water regions near shore islands and reefs from the GBR. Collins (1958) found this species only rarely in shallow-water dredging from depths ranging from tidal zone to 51 m. Haig (1997) and Parker (2009) reported H. pacifica from the western coast of Australia and Debenay (2012) from depths of 5–30 m dispersed in the southwestern lagoon of New Caledonia.

Distribution within study area. Within the studied region H. pacifica was found on Heron and One Tree reefs and two sites in Wistari Lagoon. The species is normally rare in lagoonal environments (one to three specimens per site), but was highly abundant on the reef flats of Heron Island, where abundance is often ten times that of the lagoons. The greatest abundance was found at site 10 on the Heron reef rampart of the ST/HW transect and at sites 2 and 8 of Transect 1 along the inner/outer reef margin.