Brachiopods from the Palaeogene clastic deposits of north-western Italy

Four brachiopod species, i.e. Erymnaria bolcensis (Massalongo, 1850), Gryphus cf. minor (Philippi, 1836), Terebratulina tenuistriata (Leymerie, 1846), and Megathiris detruncata (Gmelin, 1791) have been identified in the Oligocene deposits of NW Italy. The species G. cf. minor and T. tenuistriata dominate in the studied material. This is the first record of M. detruncata from the Oligocene of Italy, although it has been noted both from the Eocene and Miocene of Italy. The stratigraphic ranges of E. bolcensis and T. tenuistriata have been extended. The studied assemblage differs considerably from the majority of the Palaeogene and Neogene assemblages of Europe dominated by micromorphic megathyridids. Geological context and sedimentary features point to mass-flow deposits of fan deltas, indicating that the assemblage has been transported within the sediment down a slope.