335 Review of the Bullia group: evolution and biogeography

Review of the Bullia group (Gastropoda: Nassariidae), with comments on its evolution, biogeography, and phylogeny - BAP #335 The "Bullia group", comprising those gastropods of the family Nassariidae not assignable to the subfamilies Nassariinae or Cylleninae, is a relatively small group presently confined to temperate and subtropical shallow water habitats in the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The group has a significant and complex fossil record, however, that indicates greater morphological diversity and wider geographic distribution in the Tertiary than today. This fossil record suggests that Nassariidae arose and diversified initially in the New World in the Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary, spreading to Europe, Africa and beyond by Miocene times. The genus Bullia s. s. is today an important and diverse component of the South African sandy shore molluscan fauna. The current status of Bullia s. s., however, is probably a relatively recent development. Bullia apparently did not