LATE CRETACEOUS NONMARINE OSTRACODS FROM EUROPE - BIOSTRATIGRAPHY, PALEOBIOGEOGRAPHY AND TAXONOMY

In Europe, Late Cretaceous non-marine ostracod faunas, including certa in euryhaline marginal marine taxa, are best known from the southweste rn regions (southern France, Iberian Peninsula). An exhaustive bibliog raphic analysis and a revision of recent taxonomic works have been car ried out Two major points emerge: (a) brackish water assemblages are b etter known, and predominate, from the Cenomanian up to the upper Sant onian; (b) strictly freshwater assemblages are well known and studied in the Campanian-Maastrichtian, i.e., in the local equivalent 'stages' known as Valdonnian, Fuvelian, Begudian and Rognacian. These particul ar assemblages occur mainly in the Provence and Corbieres area (southe rn France) and northern Spain. Biostratigraphic scales using these lat e Senonian freshwater ostracods have been proposed recently. The secon d part of the paper is devoted to palaeobiogeographical affinities wit h discussions concerning the geographical distribution of some key gen era such as Frambocythere, Neocyprideis, Perissocytheridea and Sarlati na, which are widely distributed in Europe. Lastly a detailed check-li st is given in an appendix. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited