The Genus Leucozonia (Gastropoda: Fasciolariidae) in the Neogene of Tropical America

Abstract

The fasciolariid neogastropod genus Leucozonia Gray, 1847, is represented in the Neogene of tropical America by four species:  L. ocellata (Gmelin, 1791) from the Mare Formation (Late Pliocene) of Venezuela, not treated here;  L. nassa (Gmelin, 1791), of which L. caribbeana Weisbord, 1962, from the Playa Grande Formation (Pleistocene) of Venezuela is a synonym;  L. rhomboidea (Gabb, 1873 ) from the Gurabo Formation (Early Pliocene) of the Dominican Republic; and L. striatula, n. sp., from the Cercado and lower Gurabo formations (Late Miocene to Early Pliocene) of the Dominican Republic. Leucozonia rhomboidea closely resembles the Recent L. leucozonalis (Lamarck, 1822) from the northwestern Caribbean and an unnamed Recent species from the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha. Leucozonia striatula is very similar to the Recent L. brasiliana (d'Orbigny, 1841) from the Atlantic coasts of Central and South America.