Holocene Ostracods from the Hang Hau Formation in Lei Yue Mun, Hong Kong, and their palaeoenvironmental implications

Abstract

Wang. H., Zhang, H., Cao, M. & Horne, D.J., October 2018. Holocene Ostracods from the Hang Hau Formation in Lei Yue Mun, Hong Kong, and their palaeoenvironmental implications. Alcheringa 43, 320–333. ISSN 0311-5518.

The Holocene Hang Hau Formation is the youngest part of the Quaternary succession in Hong Kong and yields abundant and diverse ostracods. This study of ostracod assemblages from two cores in Lei Yue Mun identifies eight genera and nine species of marine Ostracoda that were previously unreported from the Hang Hau Formation, increasing the known diversity from 67 to 76 species. Among these species, Neocyprideis timorensis (Fyan 1916) is reported for the first time in China. The recovery of abundant juvenile and adult specimens has facilitated illustration and discussion of an ontogenetic series for Neomonoceratina delicata Ishizaki & Kato, 1976, extending from the A-5 instar (fourth moult after hatching) to the sexually dimorphic A (adult) instar. Palaeoenvironmental analysis of the ostracod assemblages supports and strengthens previous interpretations indicative of a warm, shallow, nearshore-marine environment.

He Wang [[email protected]] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China; Haichun Zhang [[email protected]] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China; Meizhen Cao [[email protected]] Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, PR China; David J. Horne [[email protected]] School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK. *Also affiliated with: University of Science and Technology of China, No. 96, JinZhai Road Baohe District, Hefei, Anhui 230026, PR China.

Key words:

• Hong Kong
• Hang Hau Formation
• ostracods
• ontogeny
• palaeoenvironment

Acknowledgements

We thank one anonymous reviewer and Dr Moriaki Yasuhara for providing many constructive suggestions and revising the earlier manuscript. Thanks also go to the editor for editorial assistance. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 41572010, 41622201, 41688103), the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant number XDB26000000) and the program of China Scholarships Council (No. 201706340017).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.