Sporadic Pliocene and Pleistocene brachiopods in Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden, the Netherlands) : records from the Mediterranean, and the North Sea Basin

Th e Cenozoic Mollusc Collection of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NBC) contains several Pliocene and some Pleistocene brachiopods from the Mediterranean (5 Italian localities), and from the North Sea Basin (2 English localities, 1 French locality, 4 Dutch localities). Th e stud- ied samples altogether yielded more than 1000, mostly fragmentary specimens (8 genera, 8 spe- cies). Th e Italian Pliocene (and Pleistocene) assemblage is dominated by large terebratulids ( Te r e b - ratula ampulla ), while rhynchonellids ( Aphelesia bipartita ) and cancellothyridids ( Terebratulina retusa ) are rare. Th e Coralline Crag samples of England are characterized by large terebratulids ( Pliothyrina sowerbyana ) and lingulids ( Glottidia dumortieri ), the zeilleriid Macandrevia cranium is rare. Th e only French locality yielded few brachiopods, with relatively higher diversity ( P. s o w e r - byana is more common, the others are rare: G. dumortieri , M. cranium , Argyrotheca cf. plicata ). Th e Dutch Pliocene samples are dominated by mostly fragmentary lingulids ( G. dumortieri ), while the others are much less common ( Notosaria nysti , P. sowerbyana , T. retusa , M. cranium ). Th is is the fi rst photo documentation of N. nysti . With 64 fi gures