The Hoplitidae is a family of Cretaceous ammonites that lived during the middle of the period from the late

Aptian The Aptian is an age (geology), age in the geologic timescale or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), S ...

to the

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...

. They are part of the superfamily Hoplitoidea. Members of the Hoplitidae are typically evolute, with inner whorls exposed, although some are more involute, and are commonly stout and strongly ribbed, with pronounced tubercles. The Hoplitidae are thought to be derived from the U

-M

Albian The Albian is both an age (geology), age of the geologic timescale and a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch/s ...

'' Uligella'' of the

Desmoceratidae Desmoceratidae is a Family (biology), family belonging to the ammonite superfamily Desmoceratoidea. with and (1996), ''Mollusca 4 Revised , Cretaceous Ammonoidea'', vol. 4, in ''Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology'', Part L (Roger L. Kaesl ...

, or some related form and have been divided into three subfamilies.

Subtaxa

Classification of Hoplitidae was revised multiple times during the last few decades. Currently, Hoplitidae contains 3 subfamilies:Amédro, F., Matrion, B., Magniez-Jannin, F., & Touch, R. (2014). La limite Albien inférieur-Albien moyen dans l’Albien type de l’Aube (France): ammonites, foraminifères, séquences. Revue de Paléobiologie, 33(1), 159-279. * Gastroplitinae ** '' Freboldiceras'' ** '' Arcthoplites'' ** ?'' Sokolovites'' ** '' Pseudopulchellia'' ** ?'' Gastrohoplites'' ** '' Gastroplites'' ** '' Irenoceras'' ** '' Neogastroplites'' ** ?'' Alopecoceras'' * Sonneratiinae ** '' Bucaillella'' ** ''

Sonneratia ''Sonneratia'' is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae. Formerly the Sonneratia were placed in a family called Sonneratiaceae which included both the ''Sonneratia'' and the '' Duabanga'', but these two are now placed in their own monotyp ...

'' ** '' Pseudosonneratia'' ** '' Anahoplitoides'' ** '' Hemisonneratia'' ** '' Protohoplites'' ** '' Tetrahoplites'' * Hoplitinae ** '' Otohoplites'' ** ''

Hoplites Hoplites ( ) ( ) were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Hoplite soldiers used the phalanx formation to be effective in war with fewer soldiers. The formation discouraged the soldi ...

'' *** ''Hoplites (Hoplites)'' *** ''Hoplites (Isohoplites)'' ** '' Anahoplites'' ** '' Dimorphoplites'' ** '' Epihoplites'' *** ''Epihoplites (Metaclavites)'' *** ''Epihoplites (Epihoplites)'' ** '' Semenoviceras'' ** '' Callihoplites'' ** '' Pleurohoplites'' *** ''Pleurohoplites (Pleurohoplites)'' *** ''Pleurohoplites (Arrhaphoceras)'' ** ''

Euhoplites ''Euhoplites'' is an extinct ammonoid cephalopod from the Lower Cretaceous, characterized by strongly ribbed, more or less evolute, compressed to inflated shells with flat or concave ribs, typically with a deep narrow groove running down the mi ...

'' ** '' Hyphoplites'' *** ''Hyphoplites (Hyphoplites)'' *** ''Hyphoplites (Discohoplites)''

Phylogenetic relations

The Hoplitidae may have given rise to the

Schloenbachiidae Shloenbachiidae is a family of hoplitoid ammonoid cephalopds mostly from the lower Upper Cretaceous, (U Albian - Cenomanian). Shloenbachiidae can be recognized by their usually keel bearing, irregularly ribbed and tuberculate shells that vary fr ...

and seems to be in a different branch of the Hoplitoidea from earlier families included.

References

Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology The ''Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology,'' published from 1953–2007 by the Geological Society of America and the University of Kansas, then 2009–present by the University of Kansas Paleontological Institute, is a definitive multi-authore ...

, Part L, Mollusca 4, Mesozoic Ammonoidea. R.C. Moore (ed). Geological Soc. of America and Univ Kansas Press (1957)
Hoplitidae-Paleodb
Ammonitida families Hoplitoidea Aptian first appearances Cenomanian extinctions {{ammonitina-stub