Aphetoceras is a genus of tarphycerid cephalopod within the Estonioceratidae; loosely coiled without an impression along the dorsal margin; early whorls barely reaching, separating then diverging in the final mature whorl; weakly ribbed in some. The cross section of Aphetoceras is higher than wide, making it compressed in form. The dorsum, along the inner curve, is more broadly rounded than the venter which lies along the outer curve. The siphuncle is relatively large, located near but not at the ventral margin; lined with secondary deposits. Chambers are empty.
Trocholites is a tarphycerid genus in the family Trocholitidae from the Middle and Late Ordovician with a gradually expanding, weakly ribbed shell; whorls in contact, dorsum slightly impressed; cross section depressed, venter and sides rounded; siphuncle close to but not at the dorsal margin.
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.
Tarphyeras is a genus of tarphyceratid with whorls rounded in cross section, having a deeply impressed dorsum and a ventral to subcentral siphuncle, known from the Lower Ord of North America. It differs from Campbelloceras in that Campbelloceras is only slightly impressed, from Centrotarphyceras in that Centrotarphyceras is subquadrate and has a central siphuncle, and from Trocholites in that although Trocholites is subcircular in cross section, the siphuncle is subdorsal.
Campbelloceras is a tarphyceratid nautiloid known from the Lower Ordovician, Upper Canadian Epoch of North America, where it is widespread. Campbelloceras was named by Ulrich and Foerste in 1936.
Beekmanoceras is a small cephalopod from the Middle Canadian Epoch of New York with a loosely coiled, gyroconic, shell in which the whorls are not in contact and the siphuncle is on the inner or concave side of the whorl. Furnish and Glenister (1964) placed Beekmanoceras in the Trocholitidae (Tarphycerida), interpreting the curvature to be ventral side convex, i.e. exogastastric and the siphuncle to be dorsal. Flower (1964) included Beekmanoceras in the Ellesmeroceratidae believing the siphuncle to be ventral and the curvature to be endogastric with the ventral side concave.
Litoceras is a trocholitid (Tarphycerida) genus that has been found in the Lower and Middle Ordovician of Newfoundland. Whorls in Litoceras have a broadly rounded cross section with its width greater than its height. Litoceras somewhat resembles the tarphyceratid Pionoceras from the same time, except for the siphuncle being dorsal and in the center.
Curtoceras is a genus in the tarphycerid family Trocholitidae found widespread in the late Early and Middle Ordovician of North America and northern Europe. Curtoceras has a shell that is gradually expanded, with half the fully mature body chamber divergent from the preceding volution. Whorl sections are near equidimentional with the inner margin (dosum) moderately impressed. The surface may be smooth or weakly ribbed. The siphuncle is ventral in the initial chamber and becomes dorsal after one volution. With the exception of the dorsal siphuncle, Curtoceras is somewhat similar to the tarphyceratid Campbelloceras
The Tarphyceratidae are tightly coiled, evolute Tarphycerida with ventral siphuncles. The dorsum is characteristically impressed where the whorl presses against the venter of the previous. The Tarphyceratidae are derived from Bassleroceras or possibly from some member of the Estonioceratidae.
The Trocholitidae are Tarphycerida with whorls in close contact as with the Tarphyceratidae, but in which the siphuncle, similar in structure, becomes dorsal. The Trocholitidae are derived from the Tarphyceratidae, perhaps from different tarphyceratids.
The Bassleroceratidae is a family of gradually expanding, smooth ellesmerocerids with a slight to moderate exogastric curvature, subcircular to strongly compressed cross section, and ventral orthochaonitc siphuncle. The ventral side is typically more sharply rounded than the dorsal side and septa are close spaced. Connecting rings are thick and slightly expanded into the siphuncle, making the segments slightly concave; characteristic of the Ellesmerocerida.
Syringonautilidae is a family of Nautiloidea from the middle to late Triassic. Syringonautilidae comprise the last of the Trigonoceratoidea and are the source for the Nautilaceae which continued the Nautiloidea through the Mesozoic and into the Cenozoic right down to the recent. Syringonautilidae is a strictly Triassic family, derived early in the Triassic from the Grypoceratidae.
The Centroceratidae is the ancestral family of the Trigonoceratoidea and of the equivalent Centroceratina; extinct shelled cephalopods belonging to the order Nautilida
The Naedyceras group comprises three similar and closely related openly coiled, gyroconic, genera within oncocerid family, Brevicoceratidae: Naedyceras, Gonionaedyceras, and Gyronaedyceras.
Ophioceras is a genus of closely coiled tarphycerid nautiloid cephalopods, the sole representatives of the family Ophidioceratidae, characterized by an evolute shell with narrow, subrounded, annulated whorls and a subcentral siphuncle composed of thin connecting rings that show no evidence of layering. The mature body chamber is strongly divergent and is the longest proportionally of any tarphycerid. The aperture has a deep hyponomic sinus and ocular sinuses, and so resembles some lituitids.
Wellsoceras is a tetragonoceratid that starts off with an evolute shell in which whorls are in contact, but has a mature living chamber that diverges and becomes free. The whorl section is slightly wider than high and is faintly subquadrangular. Flanks are slightly convex and tend to converge very slightly toward the center. All shoulders are strongly rounded. The suture is straight ventrally or with a slight ventral lobe, well developed lateral lobes, and a broad, low dorsal saddle. The siphuncle is located half way between the center and the ventral margin.
Barrandeoceras is a large, coiled, Middle Ordovician nautiloid cephalopod and part of the Tarphycerida. The shell is serpenticonic with whorls touching but not embracing. The adult body chamber becomes freed of the preceding whorl, a rather common character among tarphyceroids. Whorl section is oval, somewhat more narrowly rounded ventrally, on the outer rim, than dorsally, on the inner rim. Prominent lateral ribs, at least on inner whorls. Grow lines show a distinct hyponomic sinus. Sutures have lateral lobes. The siphuncle is subcentral.
Alaskoceras is a genus of lower Ordovician coiled nautiloid cephalopods; the shell moderately expanded, ribbed, with a divergent living chamber; whorl section more broadly rounded ventrally than dorsally; siphuncle marginal at maturity, septal necks short, almost achoanitic; connecting rings thick, layered.
Plectolites is a genus of coiled nautiloid cephalopods from Nevada (USA) somewhat reminiscent of the genus Plectoceras of the Barrandeocerina.
Aethoceras is a genus of Tarphycerida nautiloids included in the family Estonioceratidae for which the shell is a loosely coiled, gradually expanding dextral torticone with a slightly depressed whorl section. Siphuncle small, ventral, submarginal. Whorl section somewhat resembles early stages of Estonioceras in being laterally fanged. Trochoidal coiling brings to mind the later Trocholitidae. Aethoceras was originally found in the lower Ordovician of Western Australia.
