''Acanthoscaphites'' is an extinct genus of cephalopod belonging to the

Ammonite Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttle ...

subclass. The average diameter of its shell was approximately , but some specimens have been found with a diameter of slightly over .

Classification

''Acanthoscaphites'' was first described by Schluter in 1872. Subsequent taxonomic revisions indicate that the relationship between ''Acanthoscaphites'' and ''Trachyscaphites'' is still unclear: ''Acanthoscaphites'' may have evolved in parallel with or as a derivative of ''Trachyscaphites''. Species *''A. plenus'' *''A. tridens'' *''A. verneuilianus''

Biogeography

''Acanthoscaphites'' was a widespread genus during

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campani ...

and

Maastrichtian The Maastrichtian () is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the latest age (uppermost stage) of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series, the Cretaceous Period or System, and of the Mesozoic Era or Erathem. It spanned the interv ...

times, approximately 80 million years ago. Its remains can be found in rocks of that age from Europe and North America.

References

Late Cretaceous ammonites of Europe Late Cretaceous ammonites of North America Ammonitida genera Scaphitidae Campanian genus first appearances Maastrichtian genus extinctions {{ammonitida-stub