Coleolus carbonarius Demanet in Demanet and van Straelen (1938) is reported for the first time from the Moscovian (Carboniferous) of Africa. In Algeria, this species occurs in large numbers as densely packed, preferentially oriented shell accumulations on limestone bedding surfaces, while being conspicuously absent from the overlying and underlying mudstone intervals. Despite this broad local abundance, nearly all previously documented occurrences of Coleolus are restricted to the European sector of the Palaeo-Tethys Ocean, with Algeria representing the only known African record. The Carboniferous distribution of the genus indicates a strong affinity for warm, low-latitude marine settings within the Palaeo-Tethyan realm. In the Moscovian of Algeria, Coleolus may have constituted a relatively abundant component of the benthic community, subsequently redistributed by hydrodynamic processes. Alternatively, the original populations may have been less numerous, with shell concentrations produced through winnowing, transport, and redeposition, thereby artificially enhancing their apparent ecological significance. The available evidence suggests that soft-substrate environments, including both calcareous and siliciclastic mud bottoms, represented the preferred habitat of Coleolus.
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