Caenogastropoda Cox, 1959

Nützel, Alexander, 2005, A new Early Triassic gastropod genus and the recovery of gastropods from the Permian / Triassic extinction, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 50 (1), pp. 19-24 : 20

Subclass Caenogastropoda Cox, 1959 Family Purpurinidae Zittel, 1895

The new genus Werfenella is placed in the caenogastropod family Purpurinidae because it resembles typical purpurinid genera such as Purpurina and Angularia . However, Werfenella is also similar to members of the archaeogastropod (vetigastropod) family Paraturbinidae and a close phylogenetic relationship seems to be possible (although it is less likely) as will be discussed below. According to Tracey et al. (1993), the Purpurinidae range from the Ladinian to the Late Cretaceous with Angularia Koken, 1892 as its oldest genus. The placement of Werfenella in the Purpurinidae pushes the origination of this important Mesozoic family back to the Olenekian.