Download Data from the Caribbean Coral Database

These data include the 1997 version of the caribbean coral database created by Ann Budd (University of Iowa) and Ken Johnson (Scripps Institution of Oceanography). Many of the occurrences were published in Budd et al. 1994, with more recent updates included. More details, including on-line search and identification tools are available at the Neogene Marine Biota of Tropical America Project (NMITA).

The data are provided as three tables in CSV text format. The tables can be linked together to form a relational database. In each table, column names are included as the first row. Missing values are indicated by an "NA".

Sample information is stored in cc97samples.csv. This table includes five columns:

  1. SampleNo - an unique index code
  2. SampleName - the name of the sample
  3. Start - Estimated lower age limit of the sample interpolated from the Bergren 1995 timescale. Note that this is a negative number to assist in plotting (so that older samples have lower ages)
  4. End - Estimated upper age boundary interpolated for the sample
  5. Region - Region from which the sample was collected.
A list of species included in the samples can be found in cc97taxa.csv. This table includes four columns. The first column specifies a unique index number for each species, and the remaining columns include Genus and species determination for each taxon and the family in which the taxa are placed following Wells (1956).

Species occurrences within each sample are presented in cc97occs.csv. This simple table includes three columns. The first column includes a taxon index, the second column specifies a sample index, and the third column indicates relative abundance. Abundance codes are 1=rare, 2=common, 3=abundant, 4=super-abundant. In the example shown below, species 9 and 11 are found in sample 1 (species 9 is rare and species 11 is common), and species 26 and 57 are found in sample 2 (species 57 is abundant). Examination of the sample list shows that sample 1 is the Tampa Formation, and sample 2 is the Emperador Formation. Examination of the species list indicates that Stylophora minor is rare from the Tampa Formation and that Stylophora canalis is common in that unit. In this example, Acropora saludensis is present but rare in the Emperdor Formation, and Siderastrea silecensis is abundant in the Emperador.

TaxNo, SampleNo,Abundance
9,1,1
11,1,2
26,2,1
57,2,3

This work was supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council and the US National Science Foundation. For more information, please contact Ken Johnson

References:

Berggren, W. A, D. V. Kent, C. C. Swisher, III, and M. P. Aubry. 1995. A revised Cenozoic geochronology and chronology. In W. A. Berggren, D. V. Kent, M. P. Aubry, and J. Hardenbol (eds.), Geochronology, time scales and global stratigrpahic correlation. SEPM special Publication 54, 386 pp.

Budd, A. F., T. A. Stemann, & K. G. Johnson. 1994. Stratigraphic distributions of Neogene to Recent Caribbean reef corals. Journal of Paleontology, 68:951-977.

Wells, J. W . 1956. Scleractinia. In R. C. Moore (ed.). Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Geological Society of America, pages F328-F444.

Back to the data set archive
Back to the Department of Invertebrate Paleontology

Last modified 27 November 2001