Recent Foraminiferal associations from northeastern Quintana Roo, Mexico

A faunal survey of the foraminifera distributed in shallow carbonate areas off the Northeast Quintana Roo (Mexico) coast is undertaken in order to determine the species present and the environments in which they occur. A total of 222 species of foraminifera is found in 3 samples located off the islands of Isla Cancun and Isla Contoy. Presence-absence Q-mode cluster analysis outlines seven distinct foraminiferal environments: proximal near back-reef, distal near back-reef, submerged dune ridge, tidal channel, strait, open lagoon, and restricted lagoon. Foraminiferal diversities and densities correlate strongly with the clustered environments. Foraminiferal associations yielded from presence-absence R-mode cluster analysis reaffirms the basic environments outlined by the Q-mode analysis. A comparison of the foraminiferal and mollusc an faunas from the same sample stations reveals comparable environmentally correlated distributions