A REMARKABLE SPECIES RICHNESS OF THE BARLEEIDAE (GASTROPODA, RISSOACEA) IN THE EASTERN ATLANTIC

The family Barleeidae, hitherto known in the Eastern Atlantic from two European and Northwest African species of Barleeia and two species of Tropidorissoia from Sio Tome, is found to be represented by 18 specie s, 14 of which (8 Barleeia, 3 Pseudodiala. 3 Lirobarleeia) are here de scribed as nets. Three new species share several shell or radular char acters with the type species of Pseudodiala and not with Barleeia. For this reason Pseudodiala is considered to be a valid genus. There are four centers of diversity: Senegal (3 species), the Cape Verde Islands (3 species), Sao Tome and Principe (6 species) and Southern Angola (6 species), together making the Eastern Atlantic the second most specie s-rich area after Western America, and the area with the highest diver sity at the genus level.