| Choanoceratidae Temporal range: Mid Silurian | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | † Orthocerida |
| Family: | † Choanoceratidae Miller (1932) |
| Genus: | † Choanoceras Miller (1932) |
The Choanoceratidae is a small, mono-generic, family of extinct orthoceratoid cephalopods in the order Orthocerida that lived in what would be Europe during the middle Silurian from 428.2 to 426.2 mya, existing for approximately 2 million years. [1]
Chaonoceratidae was named as the family for its sole member Choanoceras by Miller (1932) who, along with Flower (1941) regarded it as belonging to the Ascocerida. It became impossible to trace Choanoceras to the ascocerid lineage however, and based on closer affinities, it was assigned to the Michelinoceratida (Orthocerida equivalent) by Flower in 1962. [2]
Choanoceras had a slender, very gently curved shell with a natural truncation where it discarded the apical portion sometime during its life, somewhat resembling earlier ascocerids, with siphuncle segments that became gradually more expanded during growth. [2] Nothing is known of the animal itself.
Orthoceratidae is an extinct family of actively mobile carnivorous cephalopods, subclass Nautiloidea, that lived in what would be North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia from the Ordovician through Triassic from 490—203.7 mya, existing for approximately 286.4 million years.
Orthocerida, also known as the Michelinocerida, is an order of extinct orthoceratoid cephalopods that lived from the Early Ordovician possibly to the Late Triassic. A fossil found in the Caucasus suggests they may even have survived until the Early Cretaceous, and the Eocene fossil Antarcticeras is sometimes considered a descendant of the orthocerids although this is disputed. They were most common however from the Ordovician to the Devonian.
The Ascocerida are comparatively small, bizarre Orthoceratoids known only from Ordovician and Silurian sediments in Europe and North America, uniquely characterized by a deciduous conch consisting of a longer juvenile portion and an inflated short adult portion that separate sometime in maturity.
The Tarphycerida were the first of the coiled cephalopods, found in marine sediments from the Lower Ordovician to the Middle Devonian. Some, such as Aphetoceras and Estonioceras, are loosely coiled and gyroconic; others, such as Campbelloceras, Tarphyceras, and Trocholites, are tightly coiled, but evolute with all whorls showing. The body chamber of tarphycerids is typically long and tubular, as much as half the length of the containing whorl in most, greater than in the Silurian Ophidioceratidae. The Tarphycerida evolved from the elongated, compressed, exogastric Bassleroceratidae, probably Bassleroceras, around the end of the Gasconadian through forms like Aphetoceras. Close coiling developed rather quickly, and both gyroconic and evolute forms are found in the early middle Canadian.
Pseudorthocerida is an order of generally straight longiconic orthoceratoids with a subcentral to marginal cyrtochoanitic siphuncle composed of variably expanded segments which may contain internal deposits that may develop into a continuous parietal lining.. Cameral deposits are common and concentrated ventrally. Apices typically have a slight to moderate exogastric curvature
Baltoceratidae is an extinct family of orthoconic cephalopods belonging to the subclass Nautiloidea endemic to what would be Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America during the Ordovician living from about 480–460 mya, existing for approximately 20 million years.
Geisonoceratidae is an extinct family of orthoceroid cephalopods endemic to what would be Asia, Europe, and North America from the Middle Ordovician to the Middle Devonian living from about 470—380 mya, existing for approximately 90 million years. With the possible addition of an Early Cretaceous orthocerid from the western Caucasus the range of this group increases dramatically to some 350 million years, thus making it one of the longest lived families of the Nautiloidea.
Proteoceratidae is an extinct family of actively mobile aquatic carnivorous cephalopods belonging to the subclass Orthoceratoidea endemic to what would be Asia, Australia, Europe, South America and North America during the Ordovician living from 490—445.6 Ma, existing for approximately 44.4 million years.
Paraphragmitidae is an extinct family of actively mobile aquatic carnivorous cephalopods belonging to the subclass Orthoceratoidea endemic to what would be Asia and Europe during the Silurian living from 436 to 418.7 mya, existing for approximately 17.3 million years.
Clinoceratidae is an extinct family of actively mobile carnivorous cephalopod of the order Orthocerida that lived in what would be North America and Europe during the middle Ordovician through Early Silurian from 466–443.7 mya, existing for approximately 22.3 million years.
Dawsonoceratidae is an extinct family of orthoconic nautiloid cephalopods that lived in what would be North America and Europe from the Late Ordovician through the Middle Devonian from about 480–390 mya, existing for approximately 90 million years.
Engorthoceratidae is a small family of Devonian orthocerids and a class of cephalopod found in eastern North America, containing only the genus Engorthoceras.
Rioceras is an extinct genus of orthocerid cephalopods of the family Baltoceratidae that lived in what would be North America during the Early Ordovician from 480—472 mya, existing for approximately 8 million years.
Cycloceras is an extinct nautiloid cephalopod genus from the Carboniferous of Western Europe, of unknown affinity with the Orthocerida.
Orthoceratoidea is a major subclass of nautiloid cephalopods. Members of this subclass usually have orthoconic (straight) to slightly cyrtoconic (curved) shells, and central to subcentral siphuncles which may bear internal deposits. Orthoceratoids are also characterized by dorsomyarian muscle scars, extensive cameral deposits, and calciosiphonate connecting rings with a porous and calcitic inner layer.
Kionoceratidae is a family in the Orthocerida, proposed by Hyatt in 1900 for genera characterized by prominent ornamentation in the form of longitudinal ribs, ridges, or lirae, or combinations thereof, sometimes with similar transverse ornament or faint transverse annulations.
Macroloxoceras is a large pseuorthocerid from the upper Devonian of Central Colorado and Southern New Mexico with features resembling those found in actinocerids. Pseudorthocerids and actinocerids are extinct nautiloid cephalopods, generally with long straight shells and expanded siphuncle segments filled with organic deposits.
The Lituitidae are a family of evolved tarphycerids characterized by a long orthoconic section that follows a coiled juvenile portion at the apex, along with a generally tubular siphuncle, which like that of the barrandeocerids is composed of thin connecting rings.
The Sinoceratidae is a family of orthoceroids, named for the genus Sinoceras, both by Shimizu and Obata 1935, and equivalent to the Michelinoceratinae Flower, 1945.
The Sactorthoceratidae comprise Orthocerataceaen genera with a subcentral suborthochoanitic siphuncle composed of slightly expanded segments and free of organic deposits. The camerae (chambers) of the phragmocone likewise have organic deposits that are typically retarded or sparse.
 | This prehistoric nautiloid-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
