A Comparison of Fourteen Elphidiid (Foraminiferida) Taxa

Eleven morphological variables were measured or scored on 12 groups belonging to Elphidium and two belonging to Haynesina. The 14 groups were compared along canonical axes. The mean canonical variates for the groups E. cf. mexicanum and E. mexicanum are so close we consider them conspecific. E. discoidale, E. gunteri, E. advenum, and E. mexicanum are clearly discriminated from the other groups. E. margaritaceum, E. excavatum, and H. orbiculare are fairly well discriminated from the others. The remaining six groups form two overlapping sets. One set contains E. bartletti, E. frigidum, and E. subarcticum, while the other contains E. williamsoni, E. excavatum (deep), and H. germanica. Two more analyses were made on these overlapping sets and the results indicate each of the groups can be discriminated. We conclude each group is a separate species, with the exception of E. excavatum (deep) which we regard as conspecific with E. excavatum. The specimens from 1,530 m depth simply do not exhibit as much variation as the specimens from shallower water used in the group E. excavatum. This suggests that not only species, but also some morphological groups can be used as ecological indicators.