Raja Ampat (Indonesia) is a remote archipelago west of Papua mainland and situated at the eastern edge of the Coral Tri- angle. The archipelago is considered one of the species-richest and most pristine localities and home to the world’s most diverse coral reefs. For centuries, reefs of Raja Ampat have enjoyed natural protection and remained largely untouched due to their isolated location. The region represents a key area for evaluating richness and biogeographic patterns of tropical shallow-water organisms, yet the foraminiferal fauna of Raja Ampat is virtually unexplored.
Benthic foraminifera are an integral part of the reef fauna, prolific carbonate producers and essential for reefal accretion and sub- strate stability. Previous studies on Indo-Pacific benthic reef foraminifera indicate that diversity is highest in the Central Indo-Pacific and broadly correlates with diversity patterns of other tropical marine taxa.
This report presents the first illustrated catalog and comprehensive analysis of the structure, composition, and diversity of the spe- cies-rich benthic foraminiferal biotas of the Raja Ampat Archipelago including an assessment of local reef vitality with the Foram- inifera in Reef Assessment and Monitoring (FoRAM) Index.