Environmental History of Small Lake Catchments in the Larsemann Hills, Antarctica

Ammoelphidiella antarctica Conato and Segre occurs in thin unconsolidated muddy sediments at 55m above sea level in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica. The specimens appear to be in situ and this implies an early Pliocene age for the sediments and their contained faunas, similar to that of recently identified early to mid-Pliocene age sediments in the Vestfold Hills about 100 km distant.

This is the first evidence from foraminifera of Pliocene sediments around the margin of the East Antarctic craton and augurs well for future discoveries of coeval sediments. Dominant elements of the entirely calcareous benthic fauna are Globocassidulina crassa (d'Orbigny), and Cassidulinoides cf. parkerianus (Brady).