Belosaepia

Belosaepia Temporal range: Eocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Belosepia sepioidea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Cephalopoda
Order:	Sepiida
Family:	† Belosaepiidae
Genus:	† Belosaepia Dixon, 1850
Species
†B. blainvillii(Deshayes, 1835) †B. brevispinaJ. De C. Sowerby, 1850 †B. oweniJ. De C. Sowerby, 1850 †B. pennaGarvie, 1996 †B. sepioidea(Blainville, 1825) †B. tricarinata(Watelet, 1851) †B. ungulaGabb, 1860 (= B. uncinata, B. harrisi, B. alabamensis voltziPalmer, 1937) [1] †B. veatchiiPalmer, 1937 (= B. alabamensisPalmer, 1937) [1]
Synonyms
†BelosepiaBronn, 1830

Belosaepia is an extinct genus of cuttlefish-like cephalopod known from the Eocene. ^[1]

Morphology

Species of the genus Belosaepia reached 18 centimetres (7.1 in) in length and 5 centimetres (2.0 in) across and had a large siphuncle that penetrated its oblique septa. ^[1] The shell was endogastrically coiled. ^[1] It had a small belemnite-like guard, which took the form of a short horn at the posterior end of the shell; ^[1] usually, only a small portion of the shell closest to the guard is preserved. The chambers in the shell closely resemble those present in the cuttlebone of modern cuttlefish. ^[1]

Ecology

Species of the genus Belosaepia lived close to the sea floor. ^[1]

References

1. Yancey, T. E.; Garvie, C. L.; Wicksten, M. (2010). "The Middle Eocene Belosaepia ungula (Cephalopoda: Coleoida) from Texas: Structure, Ontogeny and Function" (PDF). Journal of Paleontology. 84 (2): 267–287. doi:10.1666/09-018R.1.