Appendix 1. Assilina / Pellatispira / Biplanispira fauna

Pellatispira is common in Burma (Eames in Morley Davies (per ref) 1975) and numerous localities in Sawarak and Kalimantan (A) [=the island of Borneo], note only a selection of these Borneo sites are plotted on the summary figure; cf. van Bemmelen (1949) for details. In Sumatra (B) sediments of this age are very rare although van Bemmelen reports Assilina, with Discocyclina and Nummulites, from a single site on the Nilam River, N. Aceh (p. 111, op cit.). A paper by Henri Douvillé  (1912) on samples from the Eho River in Nias illustrated several types of Assilina (e.g., Figure 6.4).

In West Java (C) the Bayah area has both Assilina and Pellatispira (Koolhoven 1933, original sample Blad 14, 356 re-examined for this study), and the sand-rich deposits at Ciletuh contain rare Assilina (Verbeek and Fennema 1896, and Duyfjes 1943). Several sites in Central Java (D) contain Assilina, Pellatispira, and Biplanispira (Jiwo Hills, Karangsambung, Worowari and Nanggulan – Lunt 1997 and 1998 IPA Field Trip Guidebooks, and van Bemmelen, see also Figure 5.3). Offshore in the eastern East Java Sea (E) I have seen Pellatispira in cuttings and sidewall core samples from several oil exploration wells. In the West Kangean – 1 and 2 the Late Eocene, miliolid rich, carbonate is without Lacazinella (Seimers et al. 1993 and examination of cores at IPA core workshop).

Van Bemmelen (1949) reports Pellatispira from west-central, east-central (i.e. the western part of the eastern arm) and also southern Sulawesi (F and G, also reported by van Leeuwen 1981, and Wilson and Bosence 1996). Near Tinombo in the "neck" of the northern arm of Sulawesi (H) Brouwer (1934, 1947, described in van Bemmelen 1949) reports limestone containing Assilina.

Caudri (1934) reported and illustrated Assilina orientalis Douvillé and several species of Pellatispira from southern Sumba (I) in the mid Eocene through Oligocene shallow marine Tanah Roong series. In southwestern Timor (J) the Dartollu limestones contains a rich Pellatispira fauna (van Bemmelen p. 156 and Audley-Charles 1968 and pers. obs.). On Seram (K) there are two separate records of Pellatispira, from the northern and southern coasts (van Bemmelen 1949).

The record of Pellatispira from Halmahera (L) is new, but illustrated here (Figure 1), from approximately the same strata examined by Verbeek (1908), who also recorded Alveolina, Nummulites, and Discocyclina here. Visser and Hermes (1962) noted widespread and thick Eocene limestone from the Bird’s Head and Lengguru fold belts, but Pellatispira and Biplanispira are notably absent. These authors specifically state (p.113 op. cit.) that the only places where these two genera are found are in the Kerkberg Mountains (M, around 137˚E, 2˚20' S) and along the wrench faulting west of this area, near Manokwari = N, – see map on next page by GRDC / IJGMP (Irian Jaya Geological Mapping Project) samples south of Manokwari, with contrasting Lacazinella faunas on the other side of the Ransiki Fault (Pieters et al. 1985, Ransiki quadrangle report).

There are many Eocene sites in PNG (O, and the detailed version of Figure 3) a few with well and not so well documented reports of either Pellatispira or Biplanispira. The Chimbu limestone yielded the first record of Biplanispira east of Borneo, noted as such by Crespin in 1938. Rickwood (1955) noted two locations of micro-fossiliferous Eocene, 8 km apart in the Chimbu area, but with no mention of either Pellatispira or Biplanispira. Crespin’s 1938 paper included excellent illustrations (10 figures on plate 2), so the identity of Biplanispira is not in doubt. Carey (1941, in APC, 1961) reported Pellatispira from the Er’eri Creek northeast of the Purari River. In the Kapau River pebbles have been found with Pellatispira (APC, 1961, p. 55). In the Eocene deposits around Port Moresby, van Bemmelen (p. 185) noted both Assilina and Pellatispira (without Lacazinella).

In the Pacific islands Pellatispira and/or Biplanispira are recorded on New Caledonia (P, Grekoff and Guble, 1951), Tonga (Q), Fiji (R), Saipan (S), Bikini (T), and Eniwetok (U; Cole 1960, 70, 57, 54, and 58, respectively). There are many well-illustrated reports of Assilina, Pellatispira, and Biplanispira in the Philippines (V; e.g. Hashimoto 1975).

Lacazinella fauna

North West Shelf of Australia

The Giralia Limestone (1) in outcrop and in the wells Exmouth-1 and Rough Range South-1 contains Lacazinella (Chaproniere 1981 and 1984). The type locality of the Giralia Limestone was reported to contain Pellatispira by Chapman and Crespin (1935) but Haig et al. (1997) specifically note that they did not find this genus in their studies. The reports of Assilina in the Giralia limestone by Condon (1968) have not yet been verified. There is little other faunal data on the Tertiary limestones of the Northwest Shelf (2) as oil wells often drill through this unit without taking samples. Wells that do recover samples are sometimes examined only in older Tertiary mudstones below the shallow marine limestones. Apthorpe (1988) however, summarises the Eocene Hibernia Fm. of this area as containing monospecific assemblages of Lacazinella wichmanni.

In 1894, Schlumberger formally described the genus Lacazinella, - as Lacazina, type species L. wichmanni - from the 1859 collections of von Rosenberg taken from "Southwest New Guinea" and a few islands in that neighbourhood. Lacazina is the name for Lacazinella prior to the 1962 revision of the genus by Irene Crespin.

In 1903, the expedition of Wichmann, the first of four sent by the "Maatschappij ter bevordering van het Natuurkunding Onderzoek der Nederlandsche Koloni‘n" (Society for promotion of the scientific investigation of the Dutch Colonies), explored the north coast and the southwest coast of Papua. Foraminiferal limestones that he collected between the island Namatotte and Etna Bay yielded Discocyclina s.l. Nummulites, Alveolina and Lacazinella, - identified in Rutten 1914; near location 7. The following three expeditions over the next nine years explored the area from the south coast to the Sneeuwgebergte (Snow Mountains) in the interior of southern New Guinea (Hubrecht 1908, and Van Nouhuys 1910). From this work Rutten (1919) described Eocene Alveolina-Lacazina limestone collected from the top of the "Wilhelmina summit" (4,750 m, north of 8).

In 1904 an expedition was undertaken on behalf of the Kon. Nederl. Aardr. Genootschap (Royal Netherlands Geographic Society), in which Moerman participated as geologist. He found Eocene limestones east of Etna Bay (Moerman, 1908), in which Verbeek (1908) identified Lacazinella.

Military expeditions from 1907 to 1915 sometimes included geologists and, on one of these, Heldring found Eocene limestones boulders in the Noord and Noord West Rivers, described by Martin (1911) who identified Nummulites, Alveolina s. str., Lacazinella and Heterostegina.

Lacazinella is recorded on Misool (5), several locations on the Bird’s Head, and elsewhere in western Papua, on the Onin and Kumawa peninsulas and the Lengguru fold belt (Visser and Hermes 1962, and many Irian Jaya Geological Mapping Project reports e.g.: Ransiki (6), Waghete and Kaimana (7). This latter quadrangle report maps a large area of limestone annotated as the Lacazinella/Discocyclina facies. The same fauna is recorded many times in wells in these quadrangle reports, which can be verified and expanded by personal observations including ASF-1, ASE-1, TBE-1, Besiri River-1, ASA-1, ASB-1, and South Oeta-1 wells (8). In central Papua, Lacazinella is noted in boulders of Faumai formation at the base of the younger Akimeugah formation in the Otakwa River. In the Enclosure 10 V of Visser and Hermes, the Eocene outcrops are mapped for the west Papuan region. Some areas are marked as open marine/pelagic dominated, including the Onin Peninsula where some Lacazinella has been reported, but also several other locations, not detailed in the text of the report, are annotated as Eocene platform or reefal limestones.

Rutten (1936) described Lacazinella on the Pisang Islands, sometimes with Alveolina and macrospheric Nummulites (N. bagelensis) indicating a Middle Eocene age. Exploration wells in the area noted in available reports to contain Lacazinella include the ASF-1, ASE-1, TBE-1, Besiri River-1, and also the ASA-1, ASB-1, and South Oeta-1 wells (unpublished personal observations).

On Kai Besar (3) Lacazinella is reported by Verbeek (1908) and van Bemmelen (1949). Verbeek (op cit. p.171-2) discussed in detail the previous misidentification of Lacazinella ("Lacazinae") as Alveolina in "Alveolina limestones" from Kai. Bursch (1947), confirmed by Adams (1970), described the Kai Besar fauna occurring with the reticulate Nummulites fichteli thus indicating that either Lacazinella occurs as young as the basal-most Oligocene, or these usually Oligocene Nummulites forms are known from latest Eocene.

In more recent surveys, Lacazinella faunas are recorded many times in wells and the quadrangle reports of the GRDC [IJGMP], e.g. Ransiki (6), Waghete and Kaimana (7). Other wells include ASF-1, ASE-1, TBE-1, Besiri River-1 [cf. reports of the IJGMP], and from personal observation in the ASA-1, ASB-1, and South Oeta-1 wells (8). In Papua New Guinea, around OK Tedi (9) Belford [1984] reports Lacazinella. The area marked (10) covers several locations with common Lacazinella, but in one instance occurring with rare Biplanispira (See text on APB faunal distribution). 

Koolhoven (1930) reports L. cf. wichmanni from the east arm of Sulawesi (4). Lacazinella is reported nearby in the offshore Tiaka-2 and -3 wells offshore eastern Sulawesi (personal observation, cited with permission Union Texas [Tomori] Ltd.).

In the OK Tedi area (9, Telefomin and Tekin areas of Belford 1984) there are Lacazinella faunas. They also occur in Pupitau on the east of the Kerabi Valley (APC 1961), as well as at Lake Tebera-Hathor Gorge, I the area of the Pio and Puri rivers, in the Kereru Range, and in the Puri-1, Barikewa-1, Wana-1, Kuru-2, and –3, and Omati-1 wells (as part of a re-worked assemblage in the latter). The area marked (10) covers several locations with common Lacazinella, but in one instance occurring with rare Biplanispira –(See text and detail map on the Papuan area). 

Christmas Island (Circled 1) is described in this report. The small islands of Raijua and Rotti (Circled 2) described by Verbeek (1908) and van Bemmelen (1949) have Eocene carbonate faunas including Alveolina. Samples from a polymict conglomerate (Wani beds) from the Tobelo Mts, in North Buton (Circled 3) contain Nummulites, Asterocyclina / Discocyclina [van Bemmelen (1949) p. 420]. On the Island of Buru (Circled 4) are at least two locations with Eocene larger forams [Wanner 1907, Henny and Toxopeus 1922]. On Waigeo Island (Circled 5) Brouwer (1924) found a fragment of Eocene limestone in coarse breccias with small Nummulites, plus Discocyclina. In Central Irian Jaya (Circled 6), both north and south of the zone of imbricate melange and ophiolites are limestones of Eocene age recorded by Visser and Hermes (1962) with Nummulites / Discocyclina assemblages. Finally, ODP Leg 133 on the Queensland plateau (Circled 7), has records of Nummulites and Discocyclina (Betzler 1995, and Betzler, personal. commun. confirmed no records of APB or Lacazinella).