Badenian Ostracoda from the Pokupsko area (Banovina, Croatia)

In this paper we present the results of the investigations on the Badenian (Middle Miocene) ostracods from the Pokupsko area. For the first time the presence of Badenian aged sediments in Croatia can be supported by the occurrence of ostracod biozonal markers. Four Badenian ostracod zones are established: Lower Badenian Biozone NO7 Acanthocythereis hystrix-Bythocypris lucida, Middle Badenian Biozone NO8 Eocytheropteron inflatum-Olimfalunia spinulosa, and the two Upper Badenian Biozones NO9 Neomonoceratina laskarevi-Miocyprideis sarmatica elongata and NO10 Carinocythereis carinata-Phlyctenophora farkasi. On the basis of the generally accepted paleoecology of selected genera, we identified the following ostracod faunas: shallow-water marine, shallow-water brackish-marine, shallow-water reef, and deep-water marine. The paleontological and trace element analyses suggest that the Pokupsko ostracod fauna lived in shallow (50 m deep), warm, and limpid waters, connected to a deeper sea and occasionally exposed to freshwater inflows.