PIACENZIAN-GELASIAN NON-MARINE OSTRACODS FROM THE DUNAROBBA FOSSIL FOREST (TIBERINO BASIN, UMBRIA, CENTRAL ITALY)

The taxonomy of some non-marine ostracod assemblages from the Dunarobba Fossil Forest area (south Tiberino Basin, Umbria, Italy) is discussed, adding to the scientific understanding of Piacenzian-Gelasian non-marine ostracods in central Italy and providing a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the shallow coastal lacustrine environments of the Palaeolake Tiberino. The ostracod assemblages include Darwinula stevensoni, Vestalenula crylindrica, Candona (Candona) improvisa, Candona (Neglecandona) neglecta, Candona (Neglecandotza) angulata, Candona (Neglecandona) paludinica, Caspiorypris basilicii, Caspiocypris tiberina, Candonopsis kingsleii, Cydocypris ovum, Ilyocypris bradyi, Ilyocypris dedpiens, Cypris mandelstami, Zonocypris membrane quadricella, Potamocypris fulva, Cyprideis crotonensis, Cyprideis rectangularis and two new species: Hemirypris lomastroi sp. nov. and Paralinmorythere turgida sp. nov. In addition to widespread European species, the ostracod assemblages contain some rare species that were previously known from the Pliocene Paludinian Beds of Serbia. A cluster analysis applied to the ostracod frequency matrix has lead to the identification of four separate assemblages that can be attributed to several ecological niches, including emerged hydrosols, ephemeral coastal pools and a littoral lacustrine margin, which suggest a complex coastal environment.