Francesco Sciuto

FIG. 2. — Bertorsonidra prenanti (Gautier, 1955) n. comb., living specimens from the Egadi Islands (Western Sicily):A, F-H, sample ELE.7, 17 m depth, Cape Grosso, North of the Levanzo Island; B-E, sample EBE.4, 19 m, South of Bassana Point, Marettimo Island (PMC R. I. H. B9a); A, untreated sterile zooids lacking avicularia seemingly from near the periancestrular area, large interzooidal lacunae are obvious and two often asymmetrical spines are present distal to each orifice; B, sterile zooids mostly with an avicularium lateroproximally located to the orifice, note the variability in the number of orificial spines; C, primary orifice; D, communication pores in lateral walls of broken zooids, and pillar-like rhizoidal projections emanating from the basal surface; E, some zooids with an ovicell; F, uncleaned ovicellate zooids, note the persistence of the two slender spines; G, the only observed zooid with twin avicularia; H, distal part of a zooid with its protruding suboral umbo and a...

<i>Phlyctocythere sicula</i> n. sp. (Fig. 3) TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: Strait of Messina, central Mediterranean, R / V <i>Universitatis</i>, cruise MERC, Sampling station MERC 10 (38°07'14''N, 15°32'55"E; 545 m depth), terrigenous mud, 10.XII.2005, right valve (L 0.670 mm, H 0.365 mm), MNHN PMC. O8 H. 1.10.2012 (Fig. 3A). Paratypes: same data as holotype, 2 left valves, MNHN PMC.O 28P. 1.10.2012 (Fig. 3B), O 29P. 1.10.2012 (Fig. 3C). OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — One left valve found in the Pleistocene (Calabrian) sedimentary succession cropping out at Scoppo (ME) (Fig. 1) along the sicilian side of the Strait of Messina. STRATIGRAPHIC RANGE.— Early Pleistocene (Calabrian) to Recent. ETIMOLOGY. — Named from the Sicily Island. DIAGNOSIS. — <i>Phlyctocythere sicula</i> n. sp. is characterised by a suboval, inflated carapace with swollen posteroventral area and a short caudal process in postero-central area. DESCRIPTION Carapace medium to large sized, suboval in lateral view.Anterior margin rounded and slightly pointed, dorsal margin regularly arched and convex, gently passing to the caudal process of the posterior area (Fig. 3A, B). Caudal process short and obtuse. Ventral margin slightly sinuous, regularly and steeply bending to the posterior margin towards the caudal process. Carapace inflated and oval in dorsal view. Outer surface lightly ornamented by a very weak reticulum particularly evident in the ventrolateral area (Fig. 3I). Few normal pore-canals, simple and evenly distributed, widely spaced, on the surface of the valve (Fig. 3C, G, H). Inner lamella anteriorly wide, narrower posteriorly, reduced to the minimum ventrally (Fig. 3C). Vestibula large anteriorly, narrow in postero-ventral area (Fig. 3C). Marginal pore-canals not observable. Eye tubercles absent. Hinge merodont: in the LV a curved smooth bar (Fig. 3C, F) with two little elongated lateral grooves at the anterior and posterior ends (Fig. 3G, H). RV with complementary elements. Four adductor scars and a single dorsal muscle scar (Fig. 3 C, D). REMA [...]

Living and dead deep-water ostracods from different sites and habitats of the Cold Water Coral Province off Santa Maria di Leuca have been investigated. A total of 42 ostracod taxa were determined, 34 of which at species level and 8 at genus level. The living associations comprise only two species: Bairdoppilata conformis and Bythocypris obtusata. The same species form dead associations together with Henryhowella ex H. hirta group, Macropyxis adriatica, Bythocypris bosquetiana, Pseudocythere caudata, Bathycythere vanstraateni and Cytheropteron testudo. The analysis of dead assem-blages, which includes species such as Bathycythere vanstraateni, Cytheropteron testudo, and Bythocythere mylaensis- taxa no longer thriving in the Recent Mediterra-nean Sea- allowed us to determine that an old component of the ostracod assem-blages of the “Santa Maria di Leuca Cold Water Coral Province ” seemingly lived during the last cold period of the Late Pleistocene or its transition to the Holocene. F...

Ostracod and foraminifera associations living on infralittoral algae in three different localities inside and outside the Ciclopi Islands Marine Protected Area (CIMPA), along the Ionian coast of Sicily, a few km N of Catania were analysed for the first time. A total of 19 samples were collected in three different Cystoseira communities, at 5, 10, and 26 m depth in areas where the Biocoenosis of the Infralittoral Algae develops. Ostracod associations include 22 living species but only 7 make up the bulk of associations, which consist of shallow water phytal taxa and infralittoral sediment-dwelling taxa. The family Xestoleberididae dominates, especially in the shallowest samples, followed by representatives of Paradoxostomatidae, Hemicytheridae, and Bairdidae. Loxoconchidae, Pontocyprididae and Cytheruridae are subordinate. Foraminifera include 55 taxa, but only 14 species are frequent and abundant, accounting for the majority of specimens in individual samples. Associations are almos...

Two new ostracod genera of the family Trachyleberididae Sylvester-Bradley, 1948, each based on a new species, are described and commented here. The specimens were collected in Tortonian sediments cropping out at El Hadjra Safra in the El Ma El Abiod basin (region of Tébessa, north-eastern Algeria).

Ostracod associations coming from the Upper Triassic (Tropites subbullatus/Anatropites spinosus zones of the Tuvalian substage) clays and sandstones of the Mufara Formation outcropping along the west side of Monte Gambanera (Castel di Iudica, central-eastern Sicily) have been analysed for the first time. The specimens are relatively abundant, silicified, well preserved and often preserved as complete carapaces. Over 200 specimens have been determined. They belong to the families Healdiidae, Bairdiidae, Bythocyprididae, Acratiidae, Cytheruridae, Limnocytheridae, Candonidae, Cavellinidae, Polycopidae and Thaumatocyprididae. Thirty-seven species are identified of which nine species are new: Hungarella forelae n.sp., Hungarella siciliiensis n.sp., Bairdia andrecrasquini n.sp., Bairdia gambaneraensis n.sp., Ptychobairdia iudicaensis n.sp., Ptychobairdia leonardoi n.sp., Petasobairdia jeandercourti n.sp., Kerocythere dittainoensis n.sp. and Mockella barbroae n.sp.

For the first time ostracod and foraminifera populations living on infralittoral algae were analysed from three different localities near the Ciclopi Islands Marine Protected Area along the Etnean Ionian coast of Sicily, few km N of the city of Catania. Six series of samples, each of three samples, were collected at 5, 10 and 26 m water depth in sea bottom areas where the Biocoenosis of the Infralittoral Algae is developed. Some samples were collected inside the Ciclopi Islands Marine Protected Area (CIMPA) and some outside it.In all the samples the ostracod association is characteristically constituted by a mixture of true shallow water phytal taxa and and infralittoral sediment-dwelling taxa. The family Xestoleberididae is markedly dominant, mainly in the shallowest samples. Xestoleberis dispar represents more than 60% of all the specimens, followed by X. communis and X. dispar. The families Paradoxostomatidae (with Paradoxostoma rarum, P. simile, P. parallelum, P. intermedium, P....

Arbocuspis is a bryozoan genus, so far lacking a fossil record. It includes a few, essentially intertropical, living species, all until recently considered as mere varieties of the genotype species Membranipora bellula Hincks, 1881. Scanning electron microscope images of type material are presented for the first time for Arbocuspis bicornis Hincks, 1881 from Ceylon and Arbocuspis multicornis Hincks, 1881 from Australian waters, together with a modern description for this latter species. A new species, Arbocuspis emanuelae n. sp., is erected for specimens from the Andaman Sea. Arbocuspis emanuelae is easily distinguishable from congeners because of its two symmetrically branching spines overarching the opesium, and the group of pointed unbranched spines between them. Species of Arbocuspis are especially adapted to colonise shallow-water habitats and ephemeral substrata, and their apparently wide distributions possibly result from natural and/or anthropogenic-mediated transport, and/o...

... Fig. 1 - Geographical and geological location of the sampled area. Modified from DiGeronimo et al. (2005) 05 Sciuto.pmd 19/06/08, 8.27 34 Page 3. 35 ... Similarly, in SW Pacific it lives in bottoms deeper than 500 m (Swanson & Ayress, 1999). ...

Living and dead deep-water ostracods from different sites and habitats of the Cold Water Coral Province off Santa Maria di Leuca have been investigated. A total of 42 ostracod taxa were determined, 34 of which at species level and 8 at genus level. The living associations comprise only two species: Bairdoppilata conformis and Bythocypris obtusata. The same species form dead associations together with Henryhowella ex H. hirta group, Macropyxis adriatica, Bythocypris bosquetiana, Pseudocythere caudata, Bathycythere vanstraateni and Cytheropteron testudo. The analysis of dead assemblages, which includes species such as Bathycythere vanstraateni, Cytheropteron testudo, and Bythocythere mylaensis - taxa no longer thriving in the Recent Mediterranean Sea - allowed us to determine that an old component of the ostracod assemblages of the “Santa Maria di Leuca Cold Water Coral Province” seemingly lived during the last cold period of the Late Pleistocene or its transition to the Holocene. Fur...