Succession of Cypridacea (Ostracoda) and nonmarine Cretaceous stratigraphy of China

Abstract

The Cypridacea succession is grouped into eight assemblage zones in north China and into nine assemblage zones in south China. In north China the Cypridacea are highly diversified and show a more complex valve ornamentation than the less diverse Darwinula, with Cypridea as the principal genus from the late Tithonian to early Maastrichtian. In south China, the Cypridacea are less diverse than in the north and have simple valve ornamentations, whereas Darwinula is more diversified than in the north. This difference is attributed to palaeoclimatic differences between the two regions. Upper and lower boundaries and subdivisions within the nonmarine Cretaceous succession in China are outlined on the basis of the ostracod faunas.