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 living group of ammonoids from the Jurassic up until their extinction.
Ammonitida or "True ammonites" are an order of ammonoid cephalopods that lived from the Jurassic through Paleocene time periods, commonly with intricate ammonitic sutures.
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.
Frogdenites is an extinct ammonite genus from the order Ammonitida that lived during the Middle Jurassic in what is now Europe, Canada, and Tibet. Frogdenites is included in the Otoitidae, a family which makes up part of the ammonitid superfamily, Stephanoceratoidea.
Docidoceras is an extinct ammonite genus from the order Ammonitida that lived during the Middle Jurassic. Docidoceras is included in the family Otoitidae which makes up part of the ammonite superfamily Stephanoceratoidea.
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.
Psiloceratoidea is a superfamily of Early Jurassic ammonoid cephalopods proposed by Hyatt in 1867, assigned to the order Ammonitida. They were very successful during Hettangian and Sinemurian. Last of them, family Cymbitidae and genera Hypoxynoticeras and Radstockiceras survived into Early Pliensbachian.
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)
Tissotiidae is a family of ammonites (Ammonitina) belonging to the Acanthoceratoidea.
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.
Hildoceratoidea, formerly Hildoceratacaea, is a superfamily of compressed or planulate ammonites, some tending to develop acute outer rims; generally with arcuate or sigmoidal ribs. Aptichus were found in place are double-valved.
Oxynoticeratidae is a family of true ammonites included in the superfamily Psiloceratoidea.
Arietitidae is a family of true ammonites that make up part of the superfamily Psiloceratoidea, named after the type genus Arietites. They comprise medium-size to large or gigantic genera which in general are strongly ribbed, tuberculate in some, with keeled or grooved and keeled venters, and well differentiated ammonitic sutures. The aptycus is single valved with a shiny, concentrically striated surface.
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.
Eoderoceratidae is the ancestral and most primitive family of the Eoderoceratoidea; lower Jurassic ammonite cephalopods, characterized by evolute, commonly serpenticonic, shells that had long body chambers and would have had no stable floating position; and thus resemble contemporary Psiloceratoidea. Spines, or tubercles, are typically found in two rows on the inner and outer parts of the whorl sides, joined by radial ribs. These are often more developed on the inner and middle whorls, becoming less so or absent on the outer. Sutures are highly complex.
Perisphinctoidea, formerly Perisphinctaceae, is a superfamily of Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) to Lower Cretaceous (Barremian) ammonites, commonly with evolute shells with strong ribbing that typically divides about mid flank before crossing the venter.
Pachyceratidae is a family of Perisphinctoidean ammonites from the upper Middle - and lower Upper Jurassic. Genera within the Pachyceratidae have shells that are in general moderately involte but with most of the inner whorls exposed; whorl sections subquadrate to subtrapezoidal, with rounded venter. Ribbing is strong, in some sharp. Primary ribs typically branch above mid flanks into twos, threes, and even fours.
Oppeliidae are compressed to oxyconic, sculptured Haploceratoidea, either unkeeled, unicarinate, bicarinate, or tricarinate; with sutures in great variety, but ribbing usually more or less falcoid or falcate. The Oppeliidae is the principal family of the Haploceratoidea, with the longest duration, extending from the Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) to the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Their derivation is from the Hildoceratoidea.
Hammatoceras is a genus of ammonites belonging to the family Hammatoceratidae which lived during the Toarcian stage of the Early/Lower Jurassic between about 184 and 175 million year ago.
