Ammonoids are extinct spiral shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living coleoids than they are to shelled nautiloids. The earliest ammonoids appeared during the Devonian, with the last species vanishing during or soon after the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. They are often called ammonites, which is most frequently used for members of the order Ammonitida, the only remaining group of ammonoids from the Jurassic up until their extinction.
The Ancyloceratina were a diverse suborder of ammonite most closely related to the ammonites of order Lytoceratina. They evolved during the Late Jurassic but were not very common until the Cretaceous period, when they rapidly diversified and became one of the most distinctive components of Cretaceous marine faunas. They have been recorded from every continent and many are used as zonal or index fossils. The most distinctive feature of the majority of the Ancyloceratina is the tendency for most of them to have shells that are not regular spirals like most other ammonites. These irregularly-coiled ammonites are called heteromorph ammonites, in contrast to regularly coiled ammonites, which are called homomorph ammonites.
The Phylloceratina comprise a suborder of ammonoid cephalopods, belonging to the Ammonitida, whose range extends from the Lower Triassic to the Upper Cretaceous. Shells of the Phylloceratina are generally smooth with small to large umbilici and complex sutures with leaf-like phylloid saddle endings and lobes with thorn-like projections.
Abbasites is an extinct genus of ammonites from the early Middle Jurassic epoch, included in the ammonitid family Erycitidae.
Lytoceratina is a suborder of Jurassic and Cretaceous ammonites that produced loosely coiled, evolute and gyroconic shells in which the sutural element are said to have complex moss-like endings.
Ammonitina comprises a diverse suborder of ammonite cephalopods that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of the Mesozoic Era. They are excellent index fossils, and it is often possible to link the rock layer in which they are found to specific geological time periods.
Ancyloceratoidea, formerly Ancylocerataceae, is a superfamily of typically uncoiled and loosely coiled heteromorph ammonoids established by Alpheus Hyatt in 1900, that may contain as many as 11 families, depending on the classification accepted.
Stephanoceratoidea, formerly Stephanocerataceae, is a superfamily of middle- upper Jurassic ammonoid cephalopods within the order Ammonitida containing diverse forms, generally with sharp ribbing and complex suture lines. Aptychi are believed to be mostly granular (Granulaptycus) or concentrically ribbed on the surface (Praestriaptychus)
Phylloceratidae is the predominant family of the Phylloceratina with some 15 or more genera found in rocks ranging from the Lower Jurassic to the Upper Cretaceous. Members of the Phylloceratidae are characterized by smooth, involute shells with very thin walls. Many are covered with fine growth lines but are usually without ribbing. Sutures are complex with the major and minor branches of the saddles with phylloid or spatulate endings.
Otoidtidae: stephanoceratoid ammonitina from the early Middle Jurassic that begin as cadicones but become more planualte with age; derived from the Hammitoceratidae (Hildoceratoidea), probably through Erycites by way of Abbasites.
Eoderoceratoidea is a superfamily of true ammonites from the Lower Jurassic, comprising seven phylogenetically related families, characterized in general by having ribbed evolute shells that commonly bear spines or tubercles. Adult shell size ranges from 2 or 3 cm to giants reaching 50 cm in such genera as Apoderoceras, Epideroceras, and Liparoceras.
Liparoceratidae is a family of eoderoceratoidean ammonites from the Lower Jurassic that combines genera with a variety of forms including dimorphs that change from one form to another during ontogeny.
Engonoceratidae is a family of typically compressed, more or less flat sided and involute ammonites from the mid Cretaceous belonging to the Hoplitoidea. shells have flat sided outer rims ( venters), at least in some stage. Single or branching irregular ribs and variably placed tubercles may occur. Sutures have numerous auxiliary and adventive elements of similar form, in general radially arranged. Forwardly divergent saddles tend to be simple, without subdivision. Lobes, pointing apically, may be simple and undivided or may be frilled with short irregular serrations.
Perisphinctidae is a family of Middle and Upper Jurassic discoidal ammonites in the order Ammonitida. They have a shell morphology that is mostly evolute, typically with biplicate, simple, or triplicate ribbing. Large forms have simple apertures and smooth body chambers while small forms have lappets and ribbed body chambers.
Lytoceratidae is a taxonomic family of ammonoid cephalopods belonging to the suborder Lytoceratina, characterized by very evolute shells that generally enlarge rapidly, having whorls in contact but mostly overlapping very sightly, or not at all.
Ancyloceratidae is a family of heteromorphic ammonites that lived during the Early Cretaceous. Their shells begin as a loose spiral with whorls not touching which then turns into a straight shaft that ends in a J-shape hook or bend at end. Coarse ribbing and spines are common.
This list of fossil molluscs described in 2014 is a list of new taxa of fossil molluscs that were described during the year 2014, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to molluscan paleontology that occurred in that year.
Oppeliinae is a subfamily within the Oppeliidae, a family of Jurassic ammonites characterized by forms that are mainly oxyconic, compressed with sharp venters, in the adult and with keeled inner whorls. Sutures are complex, consisting of a long series of evenly graded lobes and saddles with finely frilled endings.
Hammatoceratidae is a family of lower and middle Jurassic ammonites included in the superfamily Hildoceratoidea.
Macroscaphitidae is an extinct family of ptychoceratoid cephalopods from the subclass Ammonoidea that lived from the Lower Barremian to the Lower Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous. Fossils of Macroscaphitidae were found all around the world although the abundance of found fossils is rather limited. Known fossils from collections were found largely in Europe, South America and Africa. It is known for some species of which complete specimens were found that these animals developed a hetermorphic shell, i.e. the coiling of the shell was not regular, such that the first whirls formed a planispirally coiled evolute section as seen in homomorphic ammonites, but had an additional straight middle part and a presumably upwards facing aperture. Due to their odd morphology the taxonomic classification of Macroscaphitidae changed often over time since their discovery and may not be finally settled even now.
