''Aspidoceras'' is an extinct ammonoid cephalopod genus belonging to the family

Aspidoceratidae The Aspidoceratidae comprise a family of middle and upper Jurassic ammonites that make up part of the superfamily Perisphinctoidea, characterized by evolute shells, commonly stocky, that tend to develop tubercles. The Aspidoceratidae are thought ...

Taxonomy

''Aspidoceras'', named by Zittel, 1868, is the type genus for the persphictacian family

and subfamily Aspidoceratinae in which it is included. It is considered related to genera like '' Chinamecaceras'', '' Cubaspidoceras'', '' Euaspidoceras'', '' Extranodites'', '' Intranodites'', '' Neaspidoceras'', '' Oligopsychopsis'', ''

Orthaspidoceras ''Orthaspidoceras'' is an extinct ammonoid cephalopod genus belonging to the family Aspidoceratidae. These nektonic carnivores lived during the Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), strati ...

'', '' Schaireria'' and '' Simaspidoceras''.Paleobiology Database
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Selected species

*† ''Aspidoceras argobbae'' Dacque 1905 *†'' Aspidoceras catalaunicum'' Loriol 1872 *† ''Aspidoceras somalicum'' Dacque 1905 *†'' Aspidoceras supraspinosum'' Dacque 1905

Fossil record

''Aspidoceras'' mainly lived during the

Late Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987. In European lithostratigraphy, the ...

( Oxfordian) until

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

(

Berriasian In the geological timescale, the Berriasian is an age/ stage of the Early/Lower Cretaceous. It is the oldest subdivision in the entire Cretaceous. It has been taken to span the time between 145.0 ± 4.0 Ma and 139.8 ± 3.0 Ma (million years a ...

), with a fairly broad distribution. Fossils have been found in Italy, Chile, Spain, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Madagascar, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Somalia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, United States and Canada.

Description

''Aspidoceras'' has an evolute shell with quadrate-rounded or depressed whorls that have two rows of tubercles, the outer near the middle of the whorl sides. The outer row soon fades in many species. Some species are also ribbed. The venter, or outer rim, is generally wide and broadly arched. ''Aspidoceras'' was predated by '' Euaspidoceras'', possibly its ancestor.Crioceratites.free

Taxonomy

Selected species

Fossil record

Description

See also

References

Further reading