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New Neritidae from southwestern North America
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 May 2016
Abstract
In southwestern Baja California Norte a new species of Early Tertiary Tethyan gastropod, Velates, V. vizcainoensis n. sp., occurs with a previously unknown intertidal molluscan fauna suggestive of an unprotected coastline of probable Paleocene age. Comparison of Velates vizcainoensis n. sp. to other forms previously assigned to Velates from southwestern North America suggests that “Nerita” cuneata Gabb of Late Cretaceous age probably belongs in Neritina (Dostia), as do N. (D.) aff. N. (D.) cuneata and N. (D.) escondita n. sp.
Velates is probably derived from typical Otostoma and is an early Tertiary genus. Velates californicus Vokes, although originally described as being from the Llajas Formation of middle Eocene age, is from the upper Santa Susana Formation and probably is of late Paleocene age at its type locality.
Two other neritid gastropods are present in the fauna with Velates vizcainoensis; namely, Corsania (Januncia) Janus n. subgen., n. sp. and Nerita (Theliostyla) n. sp.(?). Corsania Vidal, 1917, is a genus distinct from Otostoma and ranges from Early Cretaceous to Paleocene. Januncia n. subgen. has a Tethyan distribution and ranges from Maastrichtian through Paleocene.
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