Colominella Piriniae N. Sp.: a New Textulariid from the Pliocene Mediterranean Record

We formally describe a new agglutinated foraminiferal species belonging to the genus Colominella Popescu, 1998 (Textulariida) recovered in two Pliocene successions of the western Mediterranean region. The formal description of Colominella piriniae n. sp. reported here permits the known stratigraphical and geographical range of the genus, previously limited to the Badenian (middle Miocene) of the Paratethys, to be extended into the Pliocene of the Mediterranean. The present work demonstrates the importance of microstructural studies performed on sectioned specimens in taxonomic assignments and reviews.