The distribution of Pliocene Nassariidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) from the western Mediterranean : Palaeoecological and historical considerations

The palaeobiogeography and palaeoecology (and possible factors determining these) of twenty-seven species of nassariid gastropod which inhabited the Mediterranean and parts of the Atlantic Ocean during the Pliocene are analysed. Tables of presence-absence for these species and faunal affinity indexes are presented. The study of the causal factors of this distribution is based on ecological aspects, mainly relying on available outcrop data, and historical aspects with regard to the present knowledge of conditions and general changes prevailing in the area during the Pliocene.