Abstract. The Nezzazatoidea ( " nezzazatoids " herein) is a superfamily of " larger " benthic foraminifera (LBF) that are common in the Cretaceous (especially mid-Cretaceous) neritic carbonate successions of Neotethys. They are encountered in suitable rocks in a broad belt centred around Central America, the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, and the Himalayas. To improve their stratigraphic utility, the identities and distribution of 15 species are critically reviewed based on published records, these taxa having at least possible occurrences in Cenomanian strata. It is shown that misidentifications have erroneously overextended the ranges of some taxa. However, there are indeed species that have long ranges, suggesting some nezzazatoids form part of a group of environmentally tolerant LBF that were able to recover from palaeoceanographic events such as widespread anoxia or sea-level change. Some of these taxa have short ranges within the Cenomanian that mark them out as potential species to be used, alongside species from other LBF groups, in the development of a biozonation/bioevent scheme for Cenomanian LBF. As with almost all mid-Cretaceous LBF, work on taxonomy/identity of nezzazatoids is an ongoing task requiring access to pristine material, including topotypes.
Keywords: Foraminifera, Biostratigraphy, Cenomanian, Neotethys, Cretaceous