POLYCOPIDAE (OSTRACODA) FROM THE LATE TERTIARY OF THE PORT 
PHILLIP AND WESTERN PORT BASINS, VICTORIA 
Mark Thomas Warne 
Department of Geology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052 
Present address: Department of Geology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083 
Warne, M. T., 1990:05:31. Polycopidae (Ostracoda) from the Late Tertiary of the Port 
Phillip and Western Port Basins, Victoria. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 
102(1): 59-66. ISSN 0035-9211. 
Six polycopid species have been identified from various Late Tertiary lithologies within 
the Port Phillip and Western Port Basins. One species, Poly cope sanctacatherinae, has been 
previously described; three others, P. melbournensis, P. thomasi and P. warneetensis are 
described as new. The last has a faint irregular pentagonal network of surface furrows which 
is an unusual ornament for the Polycopidae. Two further species, Polycope sp. A and Poly- 
copsis ? sp. A are left under open nomenclature. 
AS PART of a research program on the Late 
Tertiary Ostracoda from the Port Phillip and 
Western Port Basins (Warne 1986, 1987, 1988, 
1989), species belonging to the family Poly¬ 
copidae are here described. Details of the re¬ 
lationship between total ostracod assemblages, 
palaeoenvironments and facies within the Late 
Tertiary sequences as well as key first occur¬ 
rences of ostracod species is presented in Warne 
(1989). 
Comparison of the Miocene and Pliocene 
faunas from the Port Phillip and Western Port 
Basins with Late Eocene to Pleistocene ostracod 
faunas from elsewhere in Victoria (Davies 1985, 
Guzel 1984, McHenry 1983, Warne 1982, 
Woodall 1986) indicates that the late Early to 
early Middle Miocene rocks contain a high di¬ 
versity of polycopid species. These rocks also 
yield a high percentage of strongly ornamented 
forms, suggesting comparatively warm aquatic 
conditions at the time of deposition (McKenzie 
&Peypouquet 1984). 
MATERIAL AND LOCALITIES 
Outcrop samples of approximately 0.5 kg dry 
weight were collected from the Fyansford For¬ 
mation in the Batesford Limestone Quarry and 
at Fossil Beach, Mornington; the Sherwood For¬ 
mation at Flinders and in boreholes on French 
Island and near Tyabb. Warneet, Koo-wee-rup 
and Lang Lang; and from the “Warneet Sands’" 
in Geological Survey of Victoria Sherwood No. 
18 bore near Warneet, Western Port. These 
localities are shown on the maps of Warne 
(1988, figs 1-3) who also summarised the litho- 
statigraphy of the region. The localities range in 
age from late Early Miocene to late Late Mio¬ 
cene or Early Pliocene and yield ostracod faunas 
belonging to PA 1 to PA5 (palaeoenvironmental/ 
age associations of Warne 1987). 
Type and figured specimens are housed in the 
invertebrate palaeontological collections of the 
Museum of Victoria under the registered num¬ 
bers NMV P122190-P122201. Other specimens 
are housed on assemblage slides under the regis¬ 
tered numbers NMV P122682-P122763. Local¬ 
ity details for assemblage slides are recorded at 
the Museum of Victoria. 
The abbreviations RV = right valve, LV = 
left valve, L = length, H = height are used 
throughout the text. 
SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY 
Subclass Ostracoda Latreille, 1806 
Order Myodocopida Sars, 1866 
Suborder Cladocopa Sars, 1866 
Family Polycopidae Sars, 1866 
Remarks.Chavtur (1977, 1979, 1981) arranged 
Recent polycopids into sixteen genera based on 
differences in soft part anatomy, but the re¬ 
lationship between these differences and 
carapace morphology is unclear. Prior to Chav- 
tur’s classification Cainozoic polycopids had 
been assigned to the four genera Polycope Sars, 
1866, Polycopsis Muller, 1894, Pcirapolycope 
Klie, 1936 and Metapolvcope Kornicker & van 
Morkhoven, 1976. This earlier classification is 
employed herein although there are also uncer¬ 
tainties with this scheme relating to the signifi¬ 
cance of carapace morphology. Neale (1983) 
noted that Polycope and Parapolycope cannot be 
distinguished on carapace morphology alone, 
and considered that the distinction between 
Polycope and Polycopsis may not be justified if 
soft parts are unknown. Polycopid taxonomy 
59 
