Foraminifera Glossary

by Mike Horne FGS

Agglutinated - test is made up of bits of sediment stuck together

Aperture - opening in the wall of the last chamber

Aragonite - Orthorhombic form of Calcium Carbonate, a bit unstable - may disolve or re-crsytalise as calcite

Benthic/Benthonic - lives on or in the sediment at the bottom of the water

Biserial - chambers arranged in rows of two

Calcite - stable, hexagonal crystal form of calcium carbonate

Carinate - test has a keel

Foramen - opening linking two chambers, former aperture.

Hyaline - transparent

Multilocular - test has more than one chamber

Perforate - test perforated with small holes

Planisiral - test coils in a single plane, not a spire

Planktonic/Planktic - floats in the water

Porcelaneous - test wall is tanslucent to opaque - looks like porcelain.

Proloculus - the first/original chamber

Spinose - spiny ornament