Larger foraminifera on reefs around Bali (Indonesia)

The larger benthic foraminifera fauna from four regions at or near Bali are described. In 132 samples in total 19 species were found. This is a similar to species richness in areas like the Spermonde and Cebu, but the fauna composition differed markedly. For each species the occurrence at Bali and environmental parameters affecting this distribution are discussed. It is argued that the very low abundance of imperforate species is not due to the absence of their microhabitat, but due to climatic or oceanographic parameters. The most likely is the presence of periodic upwelling, which causes the seawater temperature to drop to low levels seasonally.