The genus Cyprideis Jones, 1857 (Crustacea, Ostracoda) in the Neogene of Italy: a geometric morphometric approach.

As a result of the use of geometric morphometrics, multivariate statistics and classical morphological observations the authors propose a taxonomic revision of the Neogene Italian Cyprideis species. On this basis, the Cyprideis valves collected in Tortonian, Messinian and Pliocene brackish deposits of Italy are referred to 12 species, six of which are new: Cyprideis alexandri nov. sp., Cyprideis arvedoi nov. sp., Cyprideis lepianensis nov. sp., Cyprideis rooki nov. sp., Cyprideis strollae nov. sp., and Cyprideis toscana nov. sp. Some species are rather widespread in the Italian Peninsula (Cyprideis ruggierii Decima and Cyprideis crotonensis Decima) or even in the whole Palaeomediterranean (Cyprideis agrigentina Decima and Cyprideis anlavauxensis Carbonnel). For C. ruggierii, C. agrigentina and C. crotonensis, a phyletic relation is suggested. The new species are confined both geographically and stratigraphically in several Tuscan athalassic brackish basins, suggesting endemic speciation similar to those occurring in ancient lakes.