The taxonomy of sinistral Neptunea species from the Pliocene of the North Sea Basin and the Quaternary of NW Europe is investigated. All sinistral forms are considered to be part of a single clade. Morphological varieties from the Pliocene successions of the southern North Sea Basin are documented. A remarkable increase in the number of varieties occurs in a short stratigraphic interval in the latest Piacenzian (Lillo Formation, Kruisschans Member, Antwerp area, Belgium). The Pliocene morphs are for the moment grouped as forms within Neptunea angulata Harmer, 1914 (non N. angulata Wood, 1848). Several of the morphs appear to lack intermediate forms and thus the presence of sibling species may be demonstrated when more material will become available. During the Pleistocene, the sinistral species N. inversa Harmer, 1918, occurred in NW Europe. South of the North Sea Basin the last occurrence of the species is at least the Middle Pleistocene MIS 13. The extant N. contraria (Linné, 1771) (Bay of Biscay-Morocco) appeared in the Early Pleistocene of the Mediterranean Basin. We designate lectotypes for Neptunea angulata Harmer, 1914 and N. inversa Harmer, 1918.

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Cainozoic research

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Marcel Vervoenen, Freddy van Nieulande, Koen Fraussen, Frank P. Wesselingh, & Ronald Pouwer. (2014). Pliocene to Quaternary sinistral Neptunea species (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Buccinidae) from the NE Atlantic. Cainozoic research, 14(1), 17–34.