The genus or subgenus Cyllenina previously included in the Cylleninae is diagnosed as a member of the subfamily Dorsaninae. Cyllenina appears related to the Early Miocene species Dorsanum aquensis. A lectotype is designated for Buccinum ancillariaeformis, the type species of Cyllenina. In addition, the Paratethys group Buccinum duplicatum (= Duplicatula) appears closely related to Dorsanum aquensis. It is also shown that the generic names Phos or Nassarius are incorrectly used for Nassa lineolata, an Early Miocene species Dorsanum. On the other hand, the Paleogene clade Keepingia is excluded from the Dorsaninae and treated here as an unassigned group of Nassariidae. An overview of the biodiversity (specific richness) is proposed for the Nassariidae of the French Atlantic coasts showing their rapid diversification during the Late Oligocene. For the Nassariinae, the highest richness is encountered during the Middle Miocene and for the Dorsaninae, during the Later Oligocene. The Cylleninae is represented by only one species, and like the Dorsaninae, it has not been recorded in the Late Miocene.