Early Triassic gastropods from Salt Range, Pakistan

Five gastropod species are described from the Early Triassic (Smithian, Spathian) of the Salt Range in Pakistan, which is the first detailed documentation of gastropods from this key area of the Palaeozoic-Mesozoic transition.Bellerophontoidea are represented by Warthia hisakatsui.Bellerophontoidea were widespread in the Paleozoic and had their last appearance in the early Smithian.Anisian and later reports of this group are discussed, but currently remain doubtful.Soleniscidae, a typical Late Palaeozoic caenogastropod family, are present with two new species: Strobeus batteni and S. pakistanensis.The neritimorph genus Naticopsis and the caenogastropod Coelostylina are present with one species each, provisionally treated in open nomenclature.Naticopsis? sp.shows preservation of original colour patterns, which is very rare in Early Triassic gastropods.All identified genera originated during the Paleozoic (perhaps with the exception of Coelostylina) and are thus survivors or holdovers.Warthia and Strobeus survived the end-Permian mass extinction but went extinct during the Smithian when environmental conditions deteriorated again.