Resumen de Permian fusulinids (Foraminifera) of the subsurface of Israel: taxonomy and biostratigraphy
foraminifera from two boreholes, Gevim-1 and Pleshet-1, of the southern Coastal Plain in Israel are analyzed. For the first time, 10 species of fusulinids are described, including three new species: Reichellina leveni, Ogbinella? plata and Pseudodunbarula minuta. Three foraminiferal local biozones are defined: a) First local zone _Upper Capitanian/Midian, ranging from the Sa_ad Formation into the lower part of the _Arqov Formation and named Pseudodunbarula arpaensis; b) Second local zone _Lowermost Wuchiapingian/Dzhulfian, middle part of _Arqov Formation, correlates with the Codonofusiella kwangsiana Zone; c) Third local zone _Wuchiapingian/Dzhulfian, upper part of the _Arqov Formation, correlated with the Reichelina media Zone. The foraminifera that occur at the very top of the sequence are probably uppermost Wuchiapingian/Dzhulfian and/or lowermost Changhsingian/Dorashamian.The Levant fusulinids represent only eurybiontic smaller fusulinids of the Shubertellida, Ozawainellida and Staffellida orders. The Middle and Late Permian foraminifera from the subsurface of Israel are similar to some assemblages of the Transcaucasia, of the Abadeh Area, Iran and of the East Taurus, Turkey. The Levant assemblages differ from some assemblages of the others Tethyan regions by the absence of the fusulinids such as Yabeina, Lepidolona, Neoshwagerina, Paleofusulina and Paradunbarula. The absence of fauna younger than lowermost Changhsingian/Dorashamian suggests a hiatus of the uppermost Permian strata.
