Psiloceratoidea

Psiloceratoidea
Temporal range: Hettangian–Pliensbachian[1]
Family Arietitidae, Asteroceras stellare
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Subclass: †Ammonoidea
Order: †Ammonitida
Suborder: †Ammonitina
Superfamily: †Psiloceratoidea
Hyatt, 1867
Families

See text

Psiloceras laevis, member of family Psiloceratidae
Schlotheimia angulata, member of family Schlotheimiidae

Psiloceratoidea is a superfamily of Early Jurassic ammonoid cephalopods proposed by Hyatt in 1867, assigned to the order Ammonitida. They were very successful during Hettangian and Sinemurian. Last of them, family Cymbitidae and genera Hypoxynoticeras and Radstockiceras survived into Early Pliensbachian.[1]

Psiloceratoidea is probably derived from the family Ussuritidae, which were Triassic members of Phylloceratoidea. Similar to their ancestors, Psiloceratidae kept smooth, rounded venter for whole of their life. Schlotheimiidae were different, as they had ventral chevrons. Rest of the families had angular venter, or keel for at least part of their ontogeny. Most of the members of this superfamily had only simple ribs, but few of them have evolved also secondary ribbing. While some members are involute and some Oxynoticeratidae were oxycone, most of the species were evolute.[1]

  1. ^ a b c M. K. Howarth 2013. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part L, Revised, Volume 3B, Chapter 4: Psiloceratoidea, Eoderoceratoidea, Hildoceratoidea.