Planktonic foraminifera are widely used as indicators of past ocean conditions through the study of fossil assemblages and shell geochemistry. The accuracy of such paleoceanographic reconstructions depends on an in-depth understanding of the species- specific ecological preferences. However, the influences of environmental factors on the spatial and vertical distribution of planktonic foraminiferal species remains poorly understood. Furthermore, the responses appear to be region-specific, rather than the same across the world ocean. Here we present a synthesis of extant planktonic foraminiferal abundance data from plankton nets and sediment traps in the Bay of Bengal using published data from oceanographic campaigns between 1960 and 2014. The vertical distribution of live (cytoplasm-bearing) specimens was available for only one of the campaigns (MONOPOL). Our results highlight the dominance of six major species, with some exhibiting distinctive spatial and vertical distribution patterns. Globigerinoides ruber (encompassing G. ruber albus and G. elongatus) is associated with oligotrophic open ocean conditions and is restricted to the mixed layer. Trilobatus sacculifer thrives also exclusively in the mixed layer, but prefers coastal environments near river mouths, most likely because of a suitable and abundant food source. Neogloboquadrina dutertrei and Globigerina bulloides flourish in highly stratified waters near the Ganges-Brahmaputra river mouth and in the upwelling system of the southern tip of India. In most of the Bay of Bengal, these species are mostly surface-dwelling species. However, in the highly stratified northern waters, they are found at depths of around 100 m, below the mixed layer. This behavior reflects their low tolerance for low-salinity waters and their ability to adjust by deepening their habitat. Globorotalia cultrata and Globigerinita glutinata are abundant in the northern Bay of Bengal, though the factors driving their spatial distribution remain unclear based on our results. Globorotalia cultrata inhabits deeper waters than the other species and is associated with the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM). These findings, specific to the Bay of Bengal, allow to constrain the regional ecology of major planktonic foraminifera species and hence their use in regional paleoenvironmental reconstructions.