''Liroceras'' is a genus of

nautiloid Nautiloids are a group of cephalopods (Mollusca) which originated in the Late Cambrian and are represented today by the living ''Nautilus'' and ''Allonautilus''. Fossil nautiloids are diverse and species rich, with over 2,500 recorded species. Th ...

cephalopod A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan Taxonomic rank, class Cephalopoda (Greek language, Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral symm ...

. It is the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus (''genus typica'') is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearin ...

of the clydonautiliacean family,

Liroceratidae Liroceratidae is an extinct family of nautilids, shelled marine molluscs, belonging to the Clydonautiloidea, consisting of generally smooth, involute, nautiliconic forms with a small umbilicus. The whorl section is usually depressed and broadl ...

, and is characterized by a rapidly expanding, subglobular, nautiliconic shell with a reniform whorl section, small umbilicus, essentially straight sutures, and a siphuncle with a variable but not marginal position.Bernhard Kummel, 1964. Nautiloidea-Nautilida; ''

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 K. Geol Soc of America and Univ of Kansas Press, R. C. Moore (ed) — Liroceratidae K444–K447. ''Liroceras'' has a temporal range from the

Mississippian Mississippian may refer to: * Mississippian (geology), a subperiod of the Carboniferous period in the geologic timescale, roughly 360 to 325 million years ago * Mississippian cultures, a network of precontact cultures across the midwest and Easte ...

to the

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years, from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the s ...

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Period (punctuation) * Era, a length or span of time *Menstruation, commonly referred to as a "period" Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (o ...

, the longest of the Liroceratidae. It has been found in North America, Europe, China and the East Indies. A similar genus, '' Condraoceras'', differs in having a circular cross section and shallow ventral and lateral lobes. Another, '' Bistrialites'', also has a reniform whorl section but differs in having a large funnel-shaped umbilicus.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6557667 Nautiloids Mississippian first appearances Permian genus extinctions Paleozoic life of Yukon