PRELIMINARY REVISION OF EOCENE TURRITELLINE GASTROPODS OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND

Turritelline gastropods of Southern England have not seen much intense study in the past century and a half; as a result, the original work is sometimes lacking in a consistent set of terminology and many of the now conventional features and components of species descriptions, and the accompanying diagrams and illustrations, while exquisite, may be inadequate for comparison and identification. Such concerns for continued research are problematic, as these gastropods represent an important part of the geologic record of Southern England. In addition to their considerable role as index fossils for biostratigraphy, they frequently occur as “turritella-dominated assemblages,” which may be indicators of paleoenvironmental conditions. As part of a survey of the Eocene turritellines of Southern England, we present a summary of the at least eight valid species of turritelline gastropods of the Barton and Bracklesham beds to serve as a reference point for future study.