Abstract This paper describes and illustrates the foraminifera from Moorea, French Polynesia. Moorea, a high volcanic island in the south-central Pacific Ocean, is situated east of the tropical marine diversity hotspot in the Coral Triangle. It is significant as a recipient and redistributor of biotas by equatorial currents. The region thus represents a key area and stepping stone for transpacific faunal exchange, yet the foraminiferal fauna of Moorea has not been documented completely. We have conducted a comprehensive island-wide survey on modern, shallow-water benthic foraminifera to document the diversity, structure and composition of faunal assemblages from barrier reef, fringing reef, lagoon and bay inlet, and marsh and mangrove habitats. Here we present a fully illustrated atlas of benthic foraminifera from these shallow water habitats on Moorea and document patterns of species richness and spatial distribution. A total of 515 taxa were recorded, a number that almost triples previous species counts. The foraminiferal species are systematically described and illustrated on 33 plates by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy images. Coral reef calcifiers face an uncertain future due to global warming, pollution and coastal development. Foraminifera are prolific producers of reef carbonates, contribute significantly to the reef carbonate budget and are excellent indicators of water quality and reef health. The taxa described in this atlas originate from samples collected in 1992 at depths between 1 and 40 meters and provide a baseline for future studies of environmental change. The large number of species identified also provides a means to assess similarities among biogeographic regions across the Pacific Ocean. This is the first complete survey and documentation of benthic reef foraminifera from Moorea, Society Islands.

Abstract The Late Cretaceous pathways of ocean circulation differ fundamentally from modern oceanographic settings and were constrained primarily by the paleogeographic continental constellation of the past. We have conducted a detailed biogeographic analysis of the global distribution of 25 of the most common genera of Late Cretaceous (Santonian–Maastrichtian) larger foraminifera from tropical and subtropical latitudes. We have established a global data base for Late Cretaceous larger symbiont-bearing foraminifera to compare the extent of biogeographic provinces, to analyze distributional patterns of genera and patterns of biodiversity, and to examine geological factors regulating shifts and pathways in the evolution of diversity through time. The analysis of distributional patterns in Cretaceous larger foraminifera (Santonian/Maastrichtian) exhibits prominent biogeographic patterns that reveal extents over regional, superregional, and circumtropical levels. The spatial patterns that emerge from these studies are used to highlight some of the environmental variables exerting control over the biogeographic distribution of larger foraminifera in time and space. The biogeographic patterns observed are strongly constrained by a complex and intriguing mixture of geological history, physical oceanography, and protistan biology. The latitudinal ranges of individual genera may provide clues to infer sea-surface temperature (SST) ranges and the heat transfer regulated by the major ocean current regimes. The longitudinal range of taxa is applied as a measure for dispersal capabilities as controlled by the prevailing currents and SST patterns. The biogeographic data compiled also allowed us to assess diversity patterns among assemblages of larger foraminifera from different localities in the Late Cretaceous oceans and to identify hotspots of diversity. Presence–absence patterns and distributional extents of key taxa suggest the existence of four major biogeographic provinces: the Caribbean, the “European” Tethys, the North African Tethys, and the Indo-Asiatic provinces. The biogeographic provinces appear to be constrained mainly by the “circumglobal” Cretaceous current-system dynamics and the prevailing temperature gradient at the ocean surface. The biogeographic pattern of generic diversity of Late Cretaceous larger foraminifera correlates with the size and extent of shallow-water shelf and reefal areas present in the Cretaceous oceans. The Late Cretaceous hotspot of larger foraminiferal diversity is centered in shallow-water areas of the European Tethys, the largest reef and shelf region at this time. Geologic Problem Solving with Microfossils: A Volume in Honor of Garry D. Jones SEPM Special Publication No. 93, Copyright © 2009 SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology), ISBN 978-1-56576-137-7, p. 187–232.