Non-Cypridean Ostracoda from the Lower Cretaceous of the Iberian Chain (Spain)

Ostracod faunas are very useful to correlate the largely nonmarine deposits of Early Cretaceous age which are abundant in many parts of Europe. In Spain, those sequences locally extend to enormous thicknesses, each sub-basin containing a sequence of highly variable Lower Cretaceous formations, of various thicknesses and depositional ecologies. Significant marine guide fossils are mostly lacking in the rare, intercalated marine strata, so that nonmarine ostracods, besides brackish-marine ones, are particularly useful for biostratigraphic correlations. A total of 285 collected samples from 34 sections in the Iberian Ranges (incl. Maestrazgo) and the South Iberian sub-basin yielded a diverse ostracod fauna of 43 species belonging to the genera Asciocythere, Centrocythere, Cetacella, Cypridea, Cythereis, Cytherella, Cytherelloidea, Cytheropteron, Darwinula, Eocytheropteron, Fabanella, Haplocytheridea?, Klieana, Macrodentina, Mantelliana, Matronella, Paranotacythere, Platycythereis, Protocythere, Rhinocypris, Scabriculocypris, Schuleridea and Theriosynoecum. Apart from long-ranging taxa, it becomes evident that there is an accumulation of species indicating Tithonian-Berriasian, Hauterivian-Barremian and Aptian-Albian ages, whereas the Valanginian is only sparsely represented.