Miliolid foraminifera from inner neritic sand and mud facies of the Papuan Lagoon, New Guinea

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Abstract
One hundred and one species of the Miliolida are recorded from five different physiographic settings within the Papuan Lagoon, southeast coast of New Guinea. The following areas within the lagoon are examined: back-reef flat of Motupore Island (medium-coarse sand; < 1.5 m water depth), eastern channel between Motupore Island and mainland (medium-coarse sand; < 10 m water depth), fore-reef slope of the fringing reef along the western side of Motupore Island (sand to mud downslope; 10-20 m); lagoon basin to the north and west of Motupore Island (mud; 15-38 m); and the northwest slope of Horseshoe Reef which forms part of the Papuan Barrier Reef at the outer margin of the Papuan Lagoon (medium-coarse sand; 16-53 m). In all areas, miliolids generally from 10-40% of the total foraminiferal assemblage which is dominated by rotaliids. The most diverse miliolid assemblages come from the western motupore fore-reef slope where 89 of the species have been recognized, but no one form is dominant. The least diverse assemblages are from the shallow-water (< 2 m) sand facies of the eastern channel and back-reef flat around Motupore where 51 species have been found; Marginopora vertebralis dominates the fauna. The distribution of common species (dead + live tests) is analyzed in terms of bathymetry and mud content of sediment. Whereas some species have a broad distributional range, many are more common in either the sand or mud facies, and most reflect a bathymetric preference.

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