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Lituites is an extinct nautiloid genus from the Middle Ordovician and type for the Lituitidae that in some more recent taxonomies has been classified with the orthocerids and listed under the order Lituitida. Fossils have been found in New York, Argentina, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, and China.
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.
The Oncocerida comprise a diverse group of generally small nautiloid cephalopods known from the Middle Ordovician to the Mississippian, in which the connecting rings are thin and siphuncle segments are variably expanded. At present the order consists of some 16 families, a few of which, such as the Oncoceratidae, Brevicoceratidae, and Acleistoceratidae contain a fair number of genera each while others like the Trimeroceratidae and Archiacoceratidae are represented by only two or three.
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.
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.
Acleistoceras is a genus of the oncocerid, nautiloid family Acleistoceratidae that lived in the shallow seas that covered much of North America during the Devonian; living from 409—383.7 mya, existing for approximately 25.3 million years.
Basslerocerida is an order of nautiloid cephalopods from the Ordovician comprising exogastric longiconic cyrtocones, that is no longer in common use.
The Graciloceratidae is a family of nautiloid cephalopods from the Middle and Upper Ordovician belonging to the Oncocerida, characterized by exogastric cyrtocones that expand slightly or moderately and have thin walled, orthochoanitic marginal or subventral, tubular siphuncles.
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 Barrandeoceratidae is a family of coiled nautiloids included in the Tarphycerida that lived from the Middle Ordovician to the Middle Devonian, characterised by mostly compressed shells with a subcentral siphuncle composed of thin-walled segments that may become secondarily ventral.(Flower and Kummel 1950, Sweet 1964).
The Uranoceratidae is a family of Silurian barrandeoceroids that tend to become uncoiled with age and in which siphuncle segments tend to be expanded into the camerae.
Cliftonoceras is a genus of barrandeoceroid type tarphycerids from the Uranoceratidae characterized by a smooth gyroconic shell with a rounded dorsum and flattened venter, and by a subvental siphuncle composed of thin connecting rings and necks that are straight ventrally, recumbent dorsally.
The Valcouroceratidae is a family within the Oncocerida, nautiloid cephalopods from the middle and upper Ordovician, established by Rousseau Flower in 1945.
The Barrandeocerina comprise a suborder of Early Paleozoic nautiloid cephalopods, primitively coiled but later forms may be cyrtoconic, gyroconic, torticonic, and even breviconic, all having empty siphuncles with thin connecting rings. The Barrandeocerina were originally defined as a separate order by Rousseau Flower, but since then have been united within the Tarphycerida as a suborder. Derivation is from the Tarphyceratidae.
The Nephriticeratidae is a family of early Paleozoic nautilod cephalopods included in the Barrandeocerina, distinguished by mostly cyrtoconic as well as gyroconic, sepenticontic, and sinstrally torticonic shells with large, typically straight necked (orthchoanitic) siphuncles. As for the suborder, connecting rings are thin.
Avilionella is a Middle Ordovician tarphyceroid genus consisting of closely coiled, compressed shells with a small perforation in the center, shallow dorsal impression, and subventral tubular siphuncle with thin connecting rings. Chambers are very short, separated by closely spaced, dish-shaped septa. Coiling becomes loose in the mature, adoral, part of the shell.
Chidleyenoceras is a Middle Ordovician tarphyceroid with a closely coiled, evolute shell; whorl section subquadrate, widest just above a broadly rounded venter; dorsum with a broad shallow impression; sutures moderately spaced, weakly sinuous; siphuncle large, subventral, apparently orthochoantitic with tubular segments.
The Apsidoceratidae is a family of Middle and Upper Ordovician Barrandeocerina,, characterized by curved or coiled, smooth, transversely marked, or laterally costate shells, with a conspicuous hyponomic sinus. Early whorl sections tend to be subtriangular; become broader and dorsally impressed in closely coiled forms. Sutures are with lateral lobes in primitive forms but are without lateral lobes, but with ventral lobes in more advanced species with broader sections. Siphuncles are between the center and ventral margin, but not close to either.
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 tarphycerids. 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.
Plectoceras is a genus of nautiloids included in the tarphycerid suborder Barrandeocerina that lived during the Middle and Late Ordovician. It has been found widespread in the Middle and Upper Ordovician of North America.
References
- Flower, R.H. & Kummel, B. 1950. A Classification of the Nautiloidea. Jour Paleo V 24(5), 604-616, Sept 1950
- Flower, R.H. 1984. Bodeiceras, a new Mohawkian Oxycone, with Revision of the older Barranderaoceratida and Discussion of the Status or the Order. Jour Paleo V 58(6), 1372–1379, Nov 1984.
- Sweet, W.C. 1964. Nautiloidea-Barrandeocerida; Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part K. Grologival Society of America and University of Kansas Press.