Nucellopsis (Gastropoda, Muricidae), a new genus from the paralic domain of the European Palaeogene

A muricid fossil genus, Nucellopsis nov. gen. (Thanetian to Bartonian, France, England and Hungary) is described. It includes three species [N. plicatilis (Deshayes, 1835) nov. comb., N. ponsi nov. sp. (Thanetian, Paris basin) and N. dudariensis (Strausz, 1966) nov. comb.] found in association with molluscs of the paralic domain. The phylogenetic analysis indicates that Nucellopsis is a very primitive group and does not share close relationships with Recent genera living in shallow marine waters and in the paralic domain, as Nucella Rِding, 1798 or Trophon Montfort, 1810. Thus, the muricids colonized the paralic domain very early in their evolutionary history and probably several times. To cite this article: D. Merle, C. R. Palevol 4 (2005).