Abstract
New marine palynomorph taxa recovered from an upper Oligocene–lower Miocene (upper Chattian–upper Burdigalian; ~ 24–17 Ma) shallow-marine succession drilled in northern Colombia, northwestern South America, are herein formally described. These new taxa comprise two peridinioid dinoflagellate cyst species, Cristadinium lucyae sp. nov., and Trinovantedinium uitpensis sp. nov., and the acritarch Quadrina? triangulata sp. nov. During the Aquitanian, C. lucyae sp. nov. occurs consistently, whereas T. uitpensis sp. nov. occurs sporadically. Q.? triangulata sp. nov., a potential key biostratigraphic marker in the tropical Americas, occurs during the middle and upper Burdigalian. Cristadinium lucyae sp. nov. is characterized by having solid, distally tapered to truncated, sutural spinules forming linear low crests. Quadrina? triangulata sp. nov. is characterized by having conical to subconical processes. Trinovantedinium uitpensis sp. nov. is characterized by having verrucate to slightly baculate penitabular processes and denticulate cingulum. In addition, Cristadinium lucyae sp. nov. and Trinovantedinium uitpensis sp. nov. improve our understanding of protoperidiniacean taxonomic diversity.