Mesoceras

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Mesoceras
Temporal range: Middle Silurian
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Subclass: Nautiloidea
Order: Discosorida
Family: Mesoceratidae
Genus:Mesoceras
Barrande (1877)

Mesoceras is a mid Silurian discosorid from central Europe named by Barrande in 1877, with a short, anteriorly contracted body chamber and an aperture that is a long transverse slit. (Teichert 1964). The cross section is slightly oval with the dorso-ventral dimension slightly less than the lateral. Sutures are straight and transverse, the siphuncle is subcentral.

The Silurian is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at 443.8 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, 419.2 Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozoic Era. As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the exact dates are uncertain by several million years. The base of the Silurian is set at a series of major Ordovician–Silurian extinction events when 60% of marine species were wiped out.

Discosorida are an order of cephalopods that lived from the beginning of the Middle Ordovician, through the Silurian, and into the Devonian. Discosorids are unique in the structure and formation of the siphuncle, the tube that runs through and connects the camerae (chambers) in cephalopods, which unlike those in other orders is zoned longitudinally along the segments rather than laterally. Siphuncle structure indicated that the Discosorida evolved directly from the Plectronoceratida rather than through the more developed Ellesmerocerida, as did the other orders. Finally and most diagnostic, discosorids developed a reinforcing, grommet-like structure in the septal opening of the siphuncle known as the bullette, formed by a thickening of the connecting ring as it draped around the folded back septal neck.

Aperture (mollusc) The main opening of the shell, where the head-foot part of the body of the animal emerges

The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where the head-foot part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc.

The relationship of Mesoceras to the other discosorids is unclear (Teichert 1964) but it is most likely derived from the Mandeloceratidae (Flower and Teichert 1957, Teichert 1964), perhaps from Ovacerina

Related Research Articles

The Reudemannoceratidae are the ancestral and most primitive of the Discosorida, an order of cephalopods from the early Paleozoic. The Reudemannoceratidae produced generally medium-sized endogastric and almost straight shells with the siphuncle slightly ventral from the center.

The Lowoceratidae is a small family of discosorids, early nautiloid cephalopods, from the Middle Silurian in which the characteristic bullette is found only in early growth stages. Lowoceratids were first found in Southampton Island in the Canadian arctic.

Winnipegoceras is an extinct nautiloid genus from the Ordovician belonging to the Order Discosorida.

Ulrichoceras is recognised as the basal cyrtogomphoceratid genus, which is the source for the rest of the Cyrtogomphoceratidae as well as for the Westonoceratidae. The Cyrtogomphoceratidae are endogastric, the Westonoceratidae, exogastric.

Hemiphragmoceratidae is a family of endogastrically brevconic oncocerids characterized by elaborately visored apertures in which the hyponomic sinus in mature specimens is on a spout-like process and there may be lateral and dorsal salients.. Shells are compressed with the apical portion curved and the anterior straight. Siphucles are nummuloideal with expanded spheroidal segments and continuously actinosiphonate interiors.

Mandaloceratidae is a family in the nautiloid cephalopod order Discosorida, from the Middle and Upper(?) Silurian characterized by short, essentially straight shells referred to as breviconic, typically with a faintly exogastric shape produced by the profile of the body chamber. Apertures vary from round to T-shaped, with a long narrow, ventral, hyponomic sinus for the maneuvering funnel. Siphuncles are commonly central or subcentral with generally broad, expanded, segments and usually thin connecting rings.

Landeroceras is a genus of straight shelled cyrtogomphoceratid from the Middle Ordovician Big Horn dolomite of Wyoming.

The Cyrtogomphoceratidae are a family in the cephalopod order Discosorida that comprises genera commonly with compressed, endogastrically curved shells. Siphuncles lie close to the ventral side, segments are broadly inflated, connecting rings thick and apically expanded thick bullettes. Chambers are short, separated by shallow, dish shaped septa. Apertures are generally simple.

Westonoceratidae are exogastric, mostly compressed, Discosorida of moderate size from the Middle Ordovician to the Lower Silurian.

Glyptodendron is a Lower Silurian westonocerid characterized by compressed cyrtocones with a narrowly rounded dorsum and greatest width in the ventrolateral region. Sutures slope forward from the dorsum which is on the longitudinally concave side. The siphuncle is slightly ventral from the center. Segments are subspherical in the young; equally b road but shorter in the adult. No endosiphuncular deposits are known. The surface of the shell is covered by obliquely intersecting rows of scale-like pits.

Teichertoceras is a discosorid genus in the family Westonoceratidae characterized by an endogastric curvature to the early portion of the phragmocone.

Reedsoceras is a genus of large discosorids (Nautiloidea) in the family Westonoceratidae from the middle and upper Ordovician of North America.

Simardoceras is a genus in the discosorid family Westonoceratidae from the Middle Ordovician of Quebec.

Sinclairoceras is a nautiloid cephalopod in the discosorid family Westonoceratidae from the Middle Ordovician Simard Limestone of Quebec. The shell is laterally compressed, upwardly curved, and short; an exogastric brevicone with the venter narrowly and dorsum broadly rounded. The dorsum, at the upper surface, is only slightly concave longitudinally. The venter, at the lower surface, is more strongly convex longitudinally, drawing away from the dorsum and forming a hump at the anterior end of the phragmocone where Sinclairoceras reaches its greatest width.

Apocrinoceratidae constitutes a family of Middle Ordovician nautiloid cephalopods characterized by straight or slightly curved, transversely ribbed shells having siphuncles composed of expanded segments, short recurved septal necks, and thick connecting rings. Derivation is from the Protocycloceratidae, a family of ellesmerocerids, which differ in having straight or concave siphuncle segments, but are otherwise similar in form.

Cyrtogomphoceras is a genus of nautiloid cephalopods, recognized by its large breviconic shell with a notable endogastric curvature. The shell is fusiform in profile, reaching maximum width at or near the base of body chamber, which narrows toward the aperture. The siphuncle is large and slightly removed from the ventral side, that with the concave longitudinal profile. Siphuncle segments are short, as are chambers; septal necks recurved, connecting rings thick, bullettes at the apical end of the rings swollen. Cameral deposits are lacking.

Kiaeroceras is a slender, nearly stright shelled, cyrogomphoceratid (Nautiloidea-Discosorida) from the Upper Ordovician of northern Europe. The cross section of the shell is compressed, height greater than width. The body chamber is slightly contracted so as to narrow toward the aperture, which in some is slightly flared. The venter, narrowly rounded. The siphuncle is close to the venter, septal necks short, connecting rings thick, bullettes prominent.

Discosoridae comprise a family of endogastric discosorids,, with endocones in the siphuncle, ranging from the Middle Silurian to Middle Devonian.

Jaregoceras is a genus of nautiloids from the Upper Devonian discosorid that probably belongs to the family Discosoridae.

References

The Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology published by the Geological Society of America and the University of Kansas Press, is a definitive multi-authored work of some 50 volumes, written by more than 300 paleontologists, and covering every phylum, class, order, family, and genus of fossil and extant invertebrate animals. The prehistoric invertebrates are described as to their taxonomy, morphology, paleoecology, stratigraphic and paleogeographic range. However, genera with no fossil record whatsoever have just a very brief listing.