Neogene silicoflagellates from Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 543, western tropical Atlantic Ocean

The upper lower Miocene silicoflagellate assemblage in Core 19 from DSDP Hole 543 in the western Atlantic Ocean contains the greatest concentration (41%) of deflandroid Dictyochapulchella yet observed. The deflandroid morphology in Dictyocha persisted through the Eocene and Oligocene at middle and high latitude, but virtually disappeared in the late Oligocene, only to reappear as a short-lived variant of D. pulchella near the end of the early Miocene or the beginning of the middle Miocene at several low-latitude sites. Correlations with coeval tropical silicoflagellate and diatom assemblages from the tropical eastern Pacific and eastern Atlantic suggest that this deflandroid morphotype may be stratigraphically useful. A new diatom, Craspedodiscus barronii Bukry, found in Core 543-19, is described.