Shoreline foraminiferal thanatacoenoses around five eastern Caribbean islands and their environmental and biogeographic implications

► Caribbean nearshore foraminifera form one biogeographic province. ► Caribbean foraminiferal thanatacoenoses are environmentally useful. ► Quinqueloculina poeyana indicates sites with organic matter enrichment. ► Archaias angulatus and Amphistegina gibbosa shows sites with high hurricane impact. ► The data presented can form the nucleus of a catalogue of Caribbean beaches.