TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION AND ECOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION OF OSTRACODA IN LAKES ON SAN SALVADOR ISLAND, BAHAMAS—AN ASSESSMENT OF PROXY INDICATORS FOR CLIMATIC RECONSTRUCTION

Ostracodes are microcrustaceans that can be used as proxy indicators to reconstruct paleoenvironments. This taxonomic atlas illustrates the distribution of sixty three ostracode species on the island of San Salvador, Bahamas. The atlas is meant to be a tool that researchers on the island can use to compare species diversity to environmental factors in order to draw conclusions about the effects of climate and anthropogenic change on ostracode distribution. The ostracodes described in the atlas were collected from thirty six ponds, lakes, and blue holes on the island via surface sediment collecting along a transect as well as coring. For each of the sixty three entries, a detailed species description, ESEM image, distribution map, and geochemical tolerance graph are included. In addition to the ostracode pages there is also a section describing the thirty six collection sites in terms of their geochemistry, size, and species present. When complete, this atlas will include the entire Caribbean and give clues to overall patterns that are characteristic of Caribbean ostracodes.