ABSTRACT

A number of recent bottom samples from the NW Gulf of Mexico, examined for their Ostracoda faunas, yielded a total of 171 species. The large majority of them have never been described. The number of species per sample varied from 2 to 40; the richest and most diversified faunas occur in middle to outer shelf environments. Numerous species exhibit rather restricted depth ranges, and distinctly different faunal assemblages characterize the various bathymetric environments from shallow fresh water lakes and bayous down to the abyssal depths of the Sigsbee Deep. A bathymetric chart illustrates that at the generic level there exists a marked diversity of faunal composition at different depths.

A pronounced relationship has been noted between the size of two common species of Echinocythereis and the depth at which they were collected. A similar connection was observed in twelve species of the genus Krithe.

The results of this study will be of considerable use in evaluating the paleoecologic significance of the often rich fossil ostracod assemblages commonly encountered in the clastic Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous deposits of the Gulf Coast area.

An up-to-date bibliography of known references to publications on Recent Ostracoda from the Gulf of Mexico and adjoining areas is included.