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A new rich and diversified ostracode fauna from the Torkoz area (section Hassi Mouf South, Moroccan Anti-Atlas) is described and the ostracode distribution near the Early/Middle Devonian boundary is discussed. This ostracode fauna of a single limestone bed yields 32 taxa and is compared with the less-diversified ostracode fauna from an adjacent parallel section Hassi Mouf South as well as with a published conodont-bearing sample from section Torkoz. All three ostracode faunas are closely related, and therefore, the same latest Emsian age is postulated. Palynomorphs (acritarchs and prasinophytes) from section Torkoz support this late Early Devonian age and the scarce brachiopod fauna of the equivalent level from section Hassi Mouf South suggests a stratigraphical position very close to the Emsian/Eifelian boundary, probably latest Emsian. Zygobeyrichiasubcylindrica from a thin marly bed embedded in shales, slightly below the ostracode-rich sample from section Hassi Mouf South, and the conodonts of the patulus Zone from section Torkoz, favours the position of the Early/Middle Devonian boundary within the Yeraifia Formation and not in or on top of the Rich 4 Sandstone in the SW Dra Valley area as hitherto published. The latest Early Devonian ostracode faunas from the Torkoz area belong to the shallow-water Eifelian Ecotype of G. Becker. The new genus Karlingrella for Euglyphella? granulosa Blumenstengel, 1962 and the new species Quasillites (Beckjennites) gebeckeri are erected.

Non-metamorphic Palaeozoic sedimentary successions without major breaks exist in the Istanbul Zone of the Western Pontides (northern Turkey) and in the Taurides (southern Turkey). Based on different proxies, a Gondwanan affinity has been determined for the Taurides; however, the palaeogeographical position of the Istanbul Zone is still controversial. The aim of this paper is to discuss possible contributions of late Silurian and Devonian ostracods to the palaeogeographical assignment of the Western Pontides (Istanbul Zone). Furthermore, ostracods of the Taurides have also been evaluated in terms of the palaeogeographical setting of this terrane. Late Silurian ostracods of the Istanbul Zone (Western Pontides) show close similarities at the species level with the assemblage from the upper Silurian (Ludlow) rocks of Baltica. This Laurussian affinity indicates a palaeogeographical setting to the north of the Rheic Ocean for the Pontides during the late Silurian. The Devonian ostracod assemblages of both the Taurides and the Istanbul Zone have an affinity to both Laurussia and Gondwana. Therefore, a faunal link should exist during this long period between Laurussia and Gondwana. The faunal link between the two palaeocontinents can be explained on the one hand by a narrow ocean with shallow pathways. On the other hand, a wider ocean with long-shore currents, with broad and shallow shelf areas and/or islands functioning as stepping stones would also allow a faunal link for benthic ostracods. © 2018, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Firat University Scientific Research Projects Management Unit TUR04/009, 01DL12036 111Y179 104Y218 Funding information This study was supported by TÜBİTAK/Turkey (DEVEC-TR, Project No. 104Y218, and DECENT, Project No.111Y179), the International Bureau of the BMBF/Germany (Project Nos. TUR04/009 and 01DL12036) and the Çukurova University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (Project Nos. MMF2009YL56 and MMF2012BAP4).

Recently foundmaterials of large beyrichiacean ostracodes from the Early Devonian of the Darlık, Korucuköy, and Kabalakdere sections in NW Anatolia stimulated the restudy of ostracode collections from the İstanbul area, including the Toula collection (GBA Vienna) and Endriss collection (previously in GPI Marburg and currently in SMF Frankfurt), and their biostratigraphical and palaeogeographical significance. The species Gibba kayseri, Gibba schmidti, Zygobeyrichia roemeri, Zygobeyrichia subcylindrica, and Zygobeyrichia onusta are documented and beyrichiid gen. et sp. indet. is described. There are great similarities with ostracode faunas from Early Devonian shallow-water sediments of Europe and North Africa (in Germany from the Rhenish Schiefergebirge to Thuringia, northern France, Spain, Poland, Bohemia, Podolia, Moravia, and North-West Africa). Therefore, this distribution questions the presence of a deeper and wider Rheic Ocean, which would be difficult for shallow-water benthic organisms to cross. Recently foundmaterials of large beyrichiacean ostracodes from the Early Devonian of the Darlık, Korucuköy, and Kabalakdere sections in NW Anatolia stimulated the restudy of ostracode collections from the İstanbul area, including the Toula collection (GBA Vienna) and Endriss collection (previously in GPI Marburg and currently in SMF Frankfurt), and their biostratigraphical and palaeogeographical significance. The species Gibba kayseri, Gibba schmidti, Zygobeyrichia roemeri, Zygobeyrichia subcylindrica, and Zygobeyrichia onusta are documented and beyrichiid gen. et sp. indet. is described. There are great similarities with ostracode faunas from Early Devonian shallow-water sediments of Europe and North Africa (in Germany from the Rhenish Schiefergebirge to Thuringia, northern France, Spain, Poland, Bohemia, Podolia, Moravia, and North-West Africa). Therefore, this distribution questions the presence of a deeper and wider Rheic Ocean, which would be difficult for shallow-water benthic organisms to cross.

There is a mistake in the caption of Fig. 8m. It should be “Svantovites lethiersi Casier, 1979” instead of “Svantovites lethiersi Becker 1971”.

The 1st International Symposium on Ostracoda (ISO) was held in Naples (1963). The philosophy behind this symposium and the logical outcome of what is now known as the International Research Group on Ostracoda (IRGO) are here reviewed, namely ostracodology over the last 50 years is sociologically analysed. Three different and important historic moments for the scientific achievements of this domain are recognised. The first one, between about 1963 and 1983, is related to applied research for the oil industry as well as to the great interest in the better description of the marine environment by both zoologists and palaeontologists. Another important aspect during this period was the work by researchers dealing with Palaeozoic ostracods, who had their own discussion group, IRGPO. Gradually, the merger of this latter group with those dealing with post-Palaeozoic ostracods at various meetings improved the communication between the two groups of specialists. A second period was approximately delineated between 1983 and 2003. During this time-slice, more emphasis was addressed to environmental research with topics such as the study of global events and long-term climate change. Ostracodologists profited also from the research “politics” within national and international programmes. Large international research teams emerged using new research methods. During the third period (2003–2013), communication and collaborative research reached a global dimension. Amongst the topics of research we cite the reconstruction of palaeoclimate using transfer functions, the building of large datasets of ostracod distributions for regional and intercontinental studies, and the implementation of actions that should lead to taxonomic harmonisation. Projects within which molecular biological techniques are routinely used, combined with sophisticated morphological information, expanded now in their importance. The documentation of the ostracod description improved through new techniques to visualise morphological details, which stimulated also communication between ostracodologists. Efforts of making available ostracod information through newsletters and electronic media are evoked.

Entomozoacean ostracods (pelagic so-called fingerprint-ostracods) have recently been observed for the first time in Upper Devonian sediments of the Darlik B Section from the Istanbul region, north-western Turkey. These new assemblages consist of Entomoprimitia nitida, Entomoprimitia sartenaeri, Entomoprimitia concentrica, Franklinella calcarata, Waldeckella erecta?, Rabienella n. sp. c, aff. reichi sensu Rabien & Rabitz 1958, Rabienella reichi, Richterina (Volkina) zimmermanni and Nehdentomis pseudorichterina and can be dated as Late Frasnian Entomoprimitia sartenaeri Zone (= variostriata Zone sensu Rabien 1954).