Abstract A diverse and abundant Late Pleistocene pteropod (pelagic gastropod) fauna is described from marine cores near the island of Montserrat, Lesser Antilles. In several of the cores, there are ‘floods’ of pteropods at particular levels, usually associated with glacial periods within the Late Pleistocene. These levels of abundant pteropods appear to be of regional significance, having been reported from other locations in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf Coast of Florida and other ocean basins. The concentrations appear to reflect the enhanced preservation of aragonite during cooler periods within the Pleistocene.