Belosaepiidae

Belosaepiidae 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
Suborder:	Sepiina
Family:	† Belosaepiidae
Genera
† Aegyptosaepia Košťák, Jagt, Speijer, Stassen & Steurbaut, 2013 † Belosaepia Voltz, 1830 † Ceratisepia Meyer, 1993 † Pseudosepia Naef, 1923

Belosaepiidae is an extinct family of cephalopods known from the Eocene epoch, and bearing close similarity to the sepiid cuttlefish, whilst retaining the remnants of a belemnite-like guard. ^{[1] [2]}

Ecology

A faunal collection has been found that contains species of both the egnera Belosaepiidae and Sepiidae, suggesting that they are likely to have originated from a seagrass environment in the past. As there was a lack of seagrass in the North Atlantic during the late Eocene period, at least one belosaepiid species went extinct during this time. ^[3]

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.
2. Weaver, P.G.; Ciampaglio, C.N. (2003). "A new genus of belosaepiid (Coleoidea) from the Castle Hayne Limestone (Eocene) of Southeastern North Carolina". Journal of Paleontology. 77 (6): 1103–1106. doi:10.1666/0022-3360(2003)077<1103:ANGOBC>2.0.CO;2.
3. George F. Forsey (10 December 2019). "Seagrass and cuttlefish—an historic association". Palaeontologia Electronica. doi: 10.26879/881 . Retrieved 27 May 2024.