The Eocene represents one of the most critical intervals in Earth’s history marked by the transition from a greenhouse to an icehouse climate and by profound restructuring of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we investigate the paleobiogeography and biodiversity of small benthic foraminifera across the vast epicontinental seas of the Peri-Tethys and Western Siberia. Drawing upon a comprehensive dataset of 392 species compiled from both historical and modern micropaleontological records, we integrate fossil occurrences with paleogeographic reconstructions, paleoclimate simulations, and species distribution modelling (SDM) using Maxent technology. Sea surface temperature, paleobathymetry, and pseudocurrents were used as environmental predictors to generate species richness maps and to reconstruct the distribution of key taxonomic groups, including agglutinated, porcelaneous, perforate hyaline, non-endemic, and relict taxa. Biogeographic similarity was further evaluated using Local Contribution to Beta Diversity (LCBD) metrics, Jaccard similarity indices, and hierarchical clustering. Our results reveal marked spatial and temporal heterogeneity in foraminiferal assemblages, reflecting the dynamic interplay between climate change, progressive basin restriction, and faunal exchange with the Tethys and Arctic.
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