New observations on test architecture and construction of Jullienella foetida Schlumberger, 1890, the largest shallow-water agglutinated foraminifer in modern oceans

We present new observations on Jullienella foetida Schlumberger, 1890, a giant agglutinated foraminifer with a leaf- or fan-like test reaching a maximum dimension of 14 cm, that is common on some parts of the west African continental shelf. The test wall comprises a smooth, outer veneer of small (7.0 g wet weight m−2 for the seafloor biomass of J. foetida in areas where it is particularly abundant. The relatively restricted distribution of this species off the north-west African coast at depths above 100 m is probably related to the elevated, upwelling-related surface productivity along this margin, which provides enough food to sustain this high biomass. This remarkable species appears to play an important, perhaps keystone, role in benthic ecosystems where it is abundant, providing the only common hard substrate on which sessile organisms can settle.