Cirripedes (Thoracica, Crustacea) from the Maastrichtian of Kalaat Senan, Tunisia

An assemblage of large and robust pedunculate scalpellomorph cirripede barnacles from the Maastrichtian Kalaat Senan (Tunisia) is described, their stratigraphical position within Abiod El Haria formations noted. Four taxa are documented, three which confined to area, namely Pachyscalpellum heltzeli , Cretiscalpellum robaszynskii sp. nov. Diotascalpellum sp.; fourth, curvatum was previously recorded only Farafra Oasis in Western Desert Egypt, 2000 km southeast. The record Pollicipes glaber this locality may well be conspecific with C. new finds yield clues evolution composition North African assemblages during early late Maastrichtian, up close Cretaceous–Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary mass extinction. fauna remarkably size strongly armoured for supposedly offshore open-marine palaeoenvironment Senan, a faunal character that seems have developed after Campanian disappeared by Danian. presence genus restricted Australasia, indicates connections eastern Tethys. Their documented first arrival coincides roughly occurrence northern American scaphitid ammonite Discoscaphites . original description P. extended; it characterised particularly very elongated scutum. Similar scuta shown evolved independently scalpellid Regioscalpellum European Upper Cretaceous. family assignment as questioned. urn:lsid:zoobank.org :pub:BE62D227-BCCE-46E2-A8B5-69EB05A95533.