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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 May 2016
Foraminiferans belonging to the genus Bathysiphon G. O. and M. Sars in G. O. Sars, 1872 are among the largest fossil protists ever described, some species having tubular tests exceeding 100 mm in length (Miller, 1995). One species, Bathysiphon aaltoi Miller, 1986, from mid-Cretaceous fine-grained turbidites within the Franciscan Complex of northern California, may be the largest fossil foraminiferan ever collected with an estimated test length of approximately 150 mm (Miller, 1991, 1997). Species of comparable size are known from the modern deep-ocean floor (where they often rival or surpass the size of co-occurring metazoans) and are an important component of deep-sea benthic ecosystems (Gooday, 1983; Gage and Tyler, 1991; Gooday et al., 1992).