Phragmoteuthida

Phragmoteuthida Temporal range: Permian - Jurassic
Phragmoteuthis conocauda
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Cephalopoda
Clade:	†Belemnoidea
Order:	†Phragmoteuthida Jeletzky in Sweet, 1964
Families
See text.

Phragmoteuthida is an order of coleoid cephalopods^[1] characterized by a fan-like teuthoid pro-ostracum attached to a belemnoid-like phragmocone.

Diagnosis

Jeletzky^[1] characterized phragmoteuthids as having a large tripartite, fanlike pro-ostracum forming the longest portion of the shell, attached to about three-quarters of the circumference of a comparatively small breviconic phragmocone with short camerae and superficially belemnitid-like siphuncle, an absent or much reduced rostrum at the apical part of the phragmocone, belemnite-like arm hooks, an ink sack, beaks resembling those of Recent teuthids, and a muscular mantle.

Donovan(2006), gives a similar description for Phragmoteuthis from the Jurassic of Dorset, England. Notes phragmocones as having an apical angle of between 20 and 30 degrees, and relatively few chambers compared with belemnoids; a multi-layered conotheca, thick-walled siphuncle, and a long, three-lobed pro-ostracum as in the Triassic species. Arms are short and bear pairs of slightly curved hooks.

Classification

• Order Phragmoteuthida
  • Family Phragmoteuthididae
    • Genus Permoteuthis
    • Genus Phragmoteuthis
    • "unnamed form"
  • Family Rhiphaeoteuthidae
    • Genus Rhiphaeoteuthis

References

1. Doguzhaeva, L. 2002. "Adolescent bactritoid, orthoceroid, ammonoid and coleoid shells from the Upper Carboniferous and Lower Permian of the South Urals." (PDF). Abhandlungen der Geologischen Bundesanstalt 57: 9–55.

• D.T. Donovan 2006. Phragmoteuthida (Cephalopoda: coleoidea) from the Jurassic of Dorset, England. Palaeontology Vp; 49 Issue 3 pp 673 -684 May 2006.