Recent non-marine Ostracoda from Jamaica, West Indies

Abstract. Ostracods were sampled qualitatively at 22 sites from 15 waterbodies in the western part of Jamaica and determinations of the water chemistry and habitat characteristics were made at each locality. Most of the ostracods found belong to the Cypridinae, Cypridopsinae, Cyclocypridinae and Darwinulidae. There is a clear distinction between the faunas found in the larger, permanent lakes and the smaller ponds. The latter are subject to large fluctuations in volume and may desiccate either seasonally or interannually. Within the largest lake, Wallywash Great Pond, there is some degree of spatial zonation in the ostracod faunas that appears to be related to water depth and aquatic macrophyte occurrence. The distribution of modern ostracods within Wallywash Great Pond suggests that the late Quaternary faunal sequence from this lake is primarily a function of lake-level changes.