Passaloteuthis

Passaloteuthis
Temporal range: Pliensbachian-Toarcian183.7–175.6 Ma
Passaloteuthis auricipitis guards from the Lower Lias strata, Gloucestershire, England
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: †Belemnitida
Family: †Passaloteuthididae
Genus: †Passaloteuthis
Lissajous, 1915

Passaloteuthis is a genus of belemnite, an extinct group of cephalopods.[1] Belemnites are typically known for having about 40 micro-hooks on each one of its appendage. However, Passaloteuthis is notable for being associated with a pair of mega-hooks known as onychites. These hooks are tentatively interpreted as male-specific features, though their exact function is still unknown.[2]

Full-color reconstruction of Passaloteuthis with mega-hooks tentatively attached to the arm crown.
  1. ^ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Cephalopoda entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
  2. ^ Hoffmann, René; Stevens, Kevin (February 2020). "The palaeobiology of belemnites – foundation for the interpretation of rostrum geochemistry". Biological Reviews. 95 (1): 94–123. doi:10.1111/brv.12557. ISSN 1464-7931. PMID 31729839.