Pattersoncypris Bate, 1972

Filho, Marcos Antonio Batista Dos Santos, Ceolin, Daiane, Fauth, Gerson & Lima, Francisco Henrique De Oliveira, 2023, Ostracods from the Barbalha and Crato formations, Aptian of the Araripe Basin, northeast Brazil, Zootaxa 5319 (3), pp. 332-350 : 340

Genus Pattersoncypris Bate, 1972

Remarks: The maximum size of the specimens of the different Pattersoncypris species recovered from drill cores 1PE-06-CE and 1PE-10-CE was generally equal to that of their ontogenetic stage A-2 or A-1, with no specimens from any of the recovered species reaching their adult size. As previously mentioned, samples AM-17 (99.8 m) and AM-18 (99.3 m) from the Batateira Beds deposits of drill cores 1PS-06-CE, which contain an extremely abundant fauna, preserved much of the ontogenetic sequences of species of this genus, with the vast majority of these juvenile specimens displaying closed carapaces. Fauth et al. (2023) considered this predominance of closed juvenile carapaces to be indicative of a mass mortality event of the mixohaline ostracods, associated with the marine ingression AMI-2 into the region, which is evidenced by the presence of calcareous dinocysts, ascidian spicules, and serpulid tubes in samples AM-17 (99.8 m) and AM-18 (99.3 m) from drill core 1PS-06-CE. The maximum sizes observed for the Pattersoncypris species in drill cores 1PE-06-CE and 1PE-10-CE being smaller than what is typical for adults of this genus could be related to such a stressful environment, which resulted either in the stunted growth of the species, or in the population being unable to reach their adult instar.