The lower Pliocene gastropods of Le Pigeon Blanc (Loire-Atlantique, north west France), 2. Caenogastropoda*

Loire-Atlantique department, which we consider the ‘type’ locality for Assemblage III of Van Dingenen et al. (2015). Ninety-one species are recorded, of which 17 are new: Bittium lozoueti nov. sp., Bittium gliberti nov. sp., Tympanotonos redoniensis nov. sp., Oligodia palumbina nov. sp., Cochlis robbai nov. sp., Cochlis pedrialii nov. sp., Payraudeautia pigeonblancensis nov. sp., Alvania calasi nov. sp., Alvania dissensia nov. sp., Alvania merlei nov. sp., Alvania zbyszewskii nov. sp., Crisilla ariejansseni nov. sp., Rissoa pouweri nov. sp., Caecum aartseni nov. sp., Nystia guillotini nov. sp., Aclis pacaudi nov. sp., Niso dollfusi nov. sp. This includes the first European Neogene record for the genus Tympanotonos. Macromphalina bouryi (de Morgan, 1915) is a secondary homonym of Macromphalina bouryi (Dautzenberg, 1912) and renamed Macromphalina massicardi nom. nov. Based on the data presented here, we suggest that average Sea Surface Temperatures off the NW French coast in the Zanclean early Pliocene may have been warmer than they are at these latitudes today, possibly similar to those found today off the southern Portuguese coasts.