Temporal and latitudinal trends in the biodiversity of European Atlantic Cenozoic gastropod (Mollusca) faunas. A base for the history of biogeographic provinces

Abstract

A general overview of the biodiversity of the marine fauna during the Tertiary period is developed in the context of the biogeographical evolution of the European realm. This study combines a reappraisal of the literature with a unique first-hand source of data on the richest marine group (the gastropods) from over a 25 million year period (Early Oligocene to Late Miocene). In total the French deposits have yielded more than 10,000 species from the Eocene to the Upper Miocene. Evidence of significant bias in the fossil record is pointed out for the Palaeocene (Danian) and Upper Eocene (Priabonian). For the period considered (Palaeocene to Late Miocene, ca 50 million years) the second highest diversity is reported in the Late Oligocene. This study reveals also the importance of pre-Miocene extinctions of genera. The Oligocene was when the latitudinal differentiation of the faunas was greatest. The local generic gastropod richness ranges from 59 (Rupelian of Belgium) to 494 (Chattian of Aquitaine). A clear trend towards homogenization appears in the Late Oligocene which leads to the development of a vast biogeographical region named Euro-West Africa. This faunal evolutionary pattern has never been demonstrated before and is a novel feature of the biogeography of the Eastern-Atlantic region.