Image of Tretomphalus Möbius 1880

Description:

Roughly spherical foraminiferan with coarse perforations on the ventral surface (above right). The dorsal surface is composed of a brownish spiral of increasing sized flat chambers; the whole specimen appears to be a benthic foraminiferan with an inflated chamber (similar to those in planktonic species) on the ventral side. Our specimens have been examined by an expert (S. Richardson) and appear similar to the dispersal form of the genus Tretomphalus, a shallow-water benthic group. Most, though not all, are empty shells.