SPATIAL STRUCTURE AND BATHYMETRIC DISTRIBUTION OF CARIBBEAN BRACHIOPODS IN SAN BERNARDO, COLOMBIA: USING BRACHIOPODS AS A POTENTIAL PROXY OF PALEOBATHYMETRY

San Bernardo is an extensive reef complex located in the central region of the Colombian continental shelf of the Caribbean Sea. Bathymetric distributions of the recent brachiopods Argyrotheca, Terebratulina and Tichosina between 95 and 202 m water depth from San Bernardo are presented. A total of 829 individuals from 46 stations are evaluated. Kernel and Kriging analyses are used for modeling density and to explore the spatial structure of these assemblages. Tichosina, which is considered a deep-water generalist extending from 200 to 250 meters in the Caribbean region, was recovered from a couple of stations within the study area between 150 and 180 m water depth. Tichosina is also reported as common from a Late Oligocene unnamed unit of Central Panama. Comprehensive bathymetric data of modern Tichosina in the Caribbean suggest that the Late Oligocene unit from Panama represents a depth range of 150-250 m approximately. In this case, brachiopods provide an additional proxy to improve bathymetric estimates of the Central American Seaway before the closure of the Isthmus of Panama.