DISTRIBUTION OF SOME SPECIES OF FRESH AND BRACKISH-WATER OSTRACODA FOUND IN LOWER PLEISTOCENE SEDIMENTS OF SE SICILY

Lower Pleistocene marinesediments,evolving upwards to continental deposits, widely crop out along thesouthwestern edge of the Hyblean Plateau in the Comiso-Vittoria area. This environmental transition is well recorded, along the right side of the Ippari river near “Cartiera Mulino” (Vittoria, Ragusa). Eight samples were collected in a geological section from this locality.The basal and middlelayers contain abundant shallow-water marine ostracods whereas microfaunas from thetop of thesection only consist of ostracods which exclusively thrivein freshwaterenvironments. Three among the brackish and freshwater species are recorded (Aurila arborescens, Ilyocypris gibba and Candona neglecta) with remarks on their geographical and stratigraphical distribution.