Ruggiericythere, a new shallow marine ostracod genus from Brazil

The new ostracod genus Ruggiericythere (Hemicytheridae Puri, 1953) is described and illustrated from Recent sediments of the Brazilian continental shelf. Seven species assigned to the new genus are discussed and figured: four of these, i.e. R. perspicua, the type-species, R. batistae, R. purperae and R. vixalata, are desctibed as new species; Ruggiericythere dimorphica (Whatley, Moguilevsky, Chadwick, Toy & Ramos, 1998) has been previously described from the Southwestern Atlantic; two species, Ruggiericythere sp. 1, and Ruggiericythere sp. 2, are left in open nomenclature due to paucity of material. Analysis of 934 samples, recovered on the Brazilian shelf, provided data on the geographical and bathymetric distribution of Ruggiericythere. In the study area the genus extends from the coast of Bahia State (17°59'S) to the Uruguayan continental shelf (35°14'S), a region which is mainly under the influence of subantarctic waters. Previous records show that Ruggiericythere can be found as far South at the Northern Argentinean continental shelf (41°52'S). The depth distribution of this shallow genus ranges from 3.5 to 165 m.