Rarity as a multidimensional concept has not been discussed for the ostracods along with the effects of physicochemical factors and sedimentation rates of waters on their distribution. We randomly sampled 91 aquatic sites including eight habitat types in the Çanakkale Province to study ostracod species rarity, commonness, and ecological preferences, and to test the relationships between the rarity index (average of geographic range, habitat specificity, and population size indices) and environmental factors. A total of 44 ostracod taxa (25 living) were reported from 75 sites. Among the species, Candonocypris caledonica was recorded for the first time in Türkiye. Sixty percent of 25 living species exhibited cosmopolitan characteristics, making significant contributions to the diversity of ostracods. The well-known cosmopolitan species, Heterocypris salina (rr = 0.268), Cypridopsis vidua (rr = 0.289), Limnocythere inopinata (rr = 0.330), Ilyocypris bradyi (rr = 0.370), and Psychrodromus olivaceus (rr = 0.390), were identified as common species based on the rarity index (rr) values. Of the environmental variables, only sediment grain sizes (×2000, ×500, and ×63 μm) were found to be effective on the distribution of ostracod species. The Shannon index exhibited a positively significant association with ×2000, while the population size index displayed a linear relationship with ×63 μm grain size, indicating a small population size and rarity. Associations among index values, sediment grain size, and water quality variables showed that comprehensive studies on ostracods, analyzing both water and sediment, can provide a clearer and more precise information for evaluating the rarity and ecological preferences of species.

Acteonellids were one of the most significant groups of marine macro-invertebrates in the Late Cretaceous biota of the Tethyan Realm. They were common faunal elements associated with Cretaceous carbonate platform communities most notable for their abundance of rudist frameworks and thrived in coeval lagoons. The Upper Cretaceous fossil-bearing Karababa Formation, cropping out in southeastern Turkey, yields a remarkable assemblage of acteonellid gastropods and rudists. Cretaceous gastropods from sedimentary successions in Turkey barely have been studied over the past 80 years. The subgenusTrochactaeon, a very successful and widespread taxon of heterobranch gastropods within the family Acteonellidae, dominated acteonellid assemblages throughout the Late Cretaceous. In the present work, we present the first record ofTrochactaeon(Trochactaeon)giganteus subglobosusfrom Turkey. It is from a single lower Campanian bed in the upper part of the Karababa Formation of the Gölbaşı region (south of Adıyaman), corresponding to the northwestern part of the Arabian Platform. This record complements information on the temporal and spatial distribution ofTrochactaeonat the southern margin of the Tethyan Ocean during the last part of the Cretaceous Period. This discovery increases the documented diversity of the paleofauna from the Upper Cretaceous succession in southeastern Turkey and provides new insights into the paleoenvironment of the carbonate ramp of the northern Arabian plate, and the paleobiogeography of Campanian gastropods in general.

This study investigates the petroleum potential of mudstones of the Late Cretaceous Haymana Formation in the Haymana Basin, Turkey. The lithofacies, pore structure and source-rock characteristics of the mudstones are examined using stratigraphic, sedimentological, petrophysical and organic geochemical methods along four stratigraphic sections and other sampling sites. The depositional model presents a facies distribution within a submarine fan system. According to the bulk mineralogy, the identified lithofacies are mixed mudstone, mixed siliceous mudstone, marl, mixed carbonate mudstone, argillaceous/siliceous mudstone and clay-rich siliceous mudstone. XRD and mercury intrusion measurements suggest that the macropores (>50 nm) of the mudstones formed by dissolution of calcite, while mesopores (2–50 nm) developed around the clay–quartz/feldspar. Of the analysed samples, no lithofacies class is distinct with any specific range of porosity or permeability, which suggests a strong heterogeneity in pore throat size, mineral content and grain size. The black shale from the NW of the basin with a total organic carbon (TOC) content of 1.19%, S1 value of 0.07 mg g ⁻¹ , S2 value of 1.01 mg g ⁻¹ and a T _max value of 441°C is a relatively more mature source rock, although it still exhibits a poor petroleum potential. Overall, the TOC values (average of 0.38%) of the mudstones suggest organic-poor rock characteristics for the Haymana Formation in the studied parts of the Haymana Basin.