- publication
- 24-10-2025
Non-marine foraminifera are among the least-studied groups of protists due to their low population densities, patchy distribution, and spatiotemporal variability. This study investigated foraminifera from four caves within the Dinaric karst region of southeastern Europe, using both morphological and molecular methods. Our results confirm the presence of foraminifera in all examined caves. A new monothalamous foraminifer, Lacogromia cepelaki sp. nov., is described based on morphological and molecular data from Jopićeva Cave (Croatia). Three additional Lacogromia taxa are informally described from different caves. However, due to the lack of distinct morphological characteristics, their formal taxonomic description will require molecular analyses of live specimens. A further important outcome of this study is the morphological description of Spirolocammina petrae sp. nov., discovered in Miljacka II Cave (Croatia). This represents the first discovery of an agglutinated tubothalamid foraminifer adapted to a freshwater environment. As no molecular data could be obtained, its phylogenetic position remains undetermined, and further research will be necessary.
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