The lower Pliocene gastropods of Le Pigeon Blanc (Loire-Atlantique,Northwest France). Patellogastropoda and Vetigastropoda

摘要

In this paper we review the Patellogastropoda and Vetigastropoda of the Zanclean lower Pliocene assemblage of Le Pigeon Blanc, Loire-Atlantique department, France, which we consider the 'type' locality for Assemblage III of Van Dingenen et al. (2015). Three patellogastropod and 28 vetigastropod species are recorded, of which eleven are new: Emarginula brebioni nov. sp., Jujubinus armatus nov. sp., Jujubinus pigeonblancensis nov. sp., Jujubinus condevicnumensis nov. sp., Jujubinus ligeriensis nov. sp., Gibbula provosti nov. sp., Gibbula milleti nov. sp., Colliculus neraudeaui nov. sp., ?Tectus columbinus nov. sp., Calliostoma namnetense nov sp. and Microgaza landreauensis nov. sp. This includes possibly the first European Pliocene record for the genus Tectus. Calliostoma tauromiliare (Sacco, 1896) is considered a junior synonym of Calliostoma baccatum (Millet, 1865). Based on the data presented here, we suggest that the average Sea Surface Temperatures off the NW French coast in the Zanclean lower Pliocene may have been warmer than they are at these latitudes today, possibly similar to those found today off the southern Portuguese coasts.