Ostracod association from Pleistocene sediments along the Ionian coast of SE Sicily

Ostracod assemblages from the Early Pleistocene clays and marls known as “blue-gray clays”, just below the limit with the Middle Pleistocene calcarenites referred to as “panchina”, have been studied in several outcrops along the Sicilian Ionian coast between Augusta and Syracuse. The ostracod fauna (obtained from fourteen samples) is well preserved and well diversified: a total of 53 taxa of ostracods have been identified, 44 at specific level and nine in open nomenclature. We compared the different ostracod associations found in the different sampling sites and these were subsequently compared with coeval ostracod associations belonging to different palaeogeographic domains. The ostracod associations, consist predominantly of Costa edwardsii, Henryhowella ex H. hirta group, Pterygocythereis siveteri, Cytheridea neapolitana, Krithe praetexta, Pterygocythereis jonesii, Cimbaurila cimbaeformis, Carinocythereis carinata and Aurila convexa. They may be interpreted as deriving from original populations living in environments ranging from the lower levels of the Infralittoral zone and the upper part of the Circalittoral zone. Particularly important from the ecological point of view is the presence in some samples of Bythocythere turgida. This species would indicate deposition of these sediments during the cold phases of the Pleistocene, a supposition moreover confirmed by the presence of the Northern Guests Arctica islandica, Macoma obliqua, Pseudamussium peslutrae, and Neptunea contraria