Bartensteinites campanulatus nov. gen, nov. sp. – functional morphology of a new foraminiferal genus from the Albian of the Lower Saxony Basin Jarosław Tyszka With 1 igure, 2 plates and 1 table T yszka, J. (2012): Bartensteinites campanulatus nov. gen, nov. sp. – functional morphology of a new foraminiferal genus from the Albian of the Lower Saxony Basin. – N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh., 266: 273-282; Stuttgart. Abstract: The new calcareous foraminiferal species Bartensteinites campanulatus nov. sp. from the Albian is described from the sediments of the Lower Saxony Basin. This taxon is designated as the type species of the new genus Bartensteinites nov. gen. T yszka. This genus differs from Glo- borotalites and Conorotalites in having an aperture extended from the umbilicus through periphery to the spiral suture, as well as in possessing lush sutures on all side, from Cibicides in having lush chamber sutures and an extended aperture along the whole conical side up to the umbilicus, and from Carpenteria in lacking a keel along the periphery and having an extended aperture on the spiral side. B. campanulatus is interpreted as a vagile, epibenthic foraminifer with a well adapted test to the fac- ultative sessile mode of life. Functional morphology of conical, planoconvex shapes was best suited for the suspension-feeding strategy, facilitated by temporal attachments to irm substrates. This is also conirmed by a distinct pattern of unusually fossilized pseudopodial tracks well preserved on apertural faces of some specimens. Key words: benthic foraminifera; new genus; palaeoecology; pseudopodial tracks; Cretaceous; Low- er Saxony, Germany 1. Introduction Albian sediments of the Lower Saxony Basin provide an excellent record of oceanographic and climatic changes during the greenhouse world. Benthic fo- raminifera form a part of that record enabling recon- struction of conditions around the water/sediment in- terface. The benthic foraminiferal assemblages identi- ied within the basinal sediments turned out to be very diverse and abundant (Fenner et al. 1996; T yszka & Thies 2001; T yszka 2009). Although the foraminiferal assemblages have been extensively studied since the 19th century, there are numerous taxonomic challeng- es awaiting urgent clariication. One of these problems concerns small calcareous benthic conical foraminif- ers, which are especially abundant in the middle Al- bian drilled by the scientiic borehole - Kirchrode II located in Hannover in Germany. In the mid 90s they were found in the Kirchode I borehole by A. Thies who interpreted them, in collaboration with J. Fenner (personal communication), as sessile suspension feed- ers. This taxon was identiied and left in open nomen- clature as Carpenteria sp. (see T yszka & Thies 2001) which is known, as a genus, from the Eocene to Recent (LoebLich & Tappan 1988). There are no doubts that this taxon is an essential proxy for further palaeoen- ©2012 E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, Germany www.schweizerbart.de DOI: 10.1127/0077-7749/2012/0283 0077-7749/2012/0283 $ 2.50 N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh. 266/3, 273–282 Article Stuttgart, December 2012