Circumpacific deep-water faunas, characterized mainly by radiolarians, paleopsychrospheric ostracods and conodonts,
were found in the early, middle and late Pemian deposits pertaining to the Sicanian paleogeographic domain of western
Sicily, near the western end of the Eurasiatic Tethys.  Similar Permian deep-water faunas are known from the Phyllite Unit
of Crete and from Oman in the latter area partly above oceanic crust.  All these occurrences indicate the presence of a
late Paleozoic Tethys ocean immediately north of Gondwana.