Dr. Nagy I. Zoltán szerk.: Fragmenta Mineralogica Et Palaentologica 7. 1976. (Budapest, 1976)
1883 Heterostegina ruida SCHWAGER, p. 145, pl. 29, flg. 6a-6b. 1937 Heterostegina cf. ruida SCHWAGER. - DAVIES & PINFOLD, p. 52, pi. 5, fig. 21. Test small, discoidal; earlier part involute, rapidly becoming evolute, composed of 2 whorls; the second whorl has about 18 chambers. The septa are higher developed in the last whorl. The first of which contains about 6 chamberlets. The specimens have prominent and strongly granulated poles. Occurence: This species is observed together with the other Operculina and Assilina species in the upper nummulitic limestone of the Thebes Formation. Distribution: SCHWAGER (1883) described this species from the upper beds of El Guss Abu Said, Farafra Oasis. This species is similar to the Indian specimens, illustrated by DAVIES (1937) from the Sakesar limestone of the Punjab Salt Range. DISCUSSION The foraminifera assemblage listed above, is in favour of Lower Ypresian age. It can be equated with the Nummulites solitarius Zone of the Lower Ypresian age introduced by KENAWY (1972) from the Thebes Formation of the Taramsa section, Qena area. They can also be correlated with the Khairabad limestone and the Patala Shale (of Early Eocene age) of the Punjab Salt Range of India. However, they can never be equated with the lowermost Ranikot beds of the Early Paleocene age as mentioned before by HASSAN (1953). The presence of Nummulites atacicus and N. globulus (recorded by SCHAUB, 1951, from the Lower Ypresian of the Schlierenflysch in Switzerland) and of Ranikothalia soldadensis described from the Lower Eocene of the Soldado Rocks, Trinidad, clearly confirms the Lower Ypresian age given for these rocks. Since the work of D'ARCHIAC & HAIME (1853), authors have tried to compare the fauna of the Far East with the nummulitic formations of the Mediterranean area. Rapid changes of facies and gaps in deposition, complicate these correlations. DAVIES (1949) suggested that a marine connection was present between West and East Indies (Antilles) in basal Tertiary times, before the Americas were drifted from Europe and Africa. He asked ,whether mis communication was across North Afrcia to the Indian sea or the line of communication pass southwards round the coast of Africa? The result of the present study and the resemblane of the larger foraminiferal assemblage In the Early Eocene time of Gabal El Shaghab and that of Khairabad limestone and Patala Shales in the Punjab Salt Range in India, support the idea that a westward extending arm of the Indian Sea traversed the Sahara region of North Africa in the Early Tertiary time.
