The Miocene mega-wetland of western Amazonia holds a diverse, largely
endemic ostracod fauna. Among them, especially the genus
Cyprideis experienced a remarkable radiation.
Micropalaeontologic investigations of a 400 m long sediment core (~62 km
SW Benjamin Constant, Amazonia, Brazil) permitted a taxonomic revision of about
two-thirds of hitherto described Cyprideis species. We evaluate
the diagnostic value of shell characters and provide an extensive illustration
of the intraspecific variability of species. Based on comparative morphology,
the 20 recorded Cyprideis species are arranged in groups and
subgroups. The “smooth” group comprises C.
amazonica, C. kotzianae,
C. kroemmelbeini, C.
machadoi, C.
multiradiata, C. olivencai,
C. paralela and C.
simplex; the “ornate” group
C. curucae nom. nov., C.
cyrtoma, C. aff.
graciosa, C. inversa,
C. ituiae
n. sp.,
C. matorae
n. sp.,
C. minipunctata, C.
munoztorresi nom. nov., C.
pebasae, C.
reticulopunctata, C.
schedogymnos and C.
sulcosigmoidalis. Five species have been revalidated, two
renamed, two synonymised and two are new descriptions. Along with 10 further
formally established species, for which a review is pending,
Cyprideis keeps at least 30 endemic species in that region
during Miocene times. Up to 12 Cyprideis species have been
found to occur sympatrically, representing >90 % of the entire ostracod
fauna. Ostracod index species enable a biostratigraphic allocation of the well
succession to the Cyprideis minipunctata to Cyprideis
cyrtoma biozones, corresponding to a late Middle to early Late
Miocene age (late Serravallian–early Tortonian).