Trachyteuthis
Genus of fossil cephalopod From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Trachyteuthis is a genus of extinct octopodiform cephalopods, comprising six species: T. hastiformis, T. latipinnis, T. nusplingensis, T. teudopsiformis,[2] T. covacevichi[3] and T. chilensis.[1]
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| Reconstruction of Trachyteuthis hastiformis | |
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| Trachyteuthis hastiformis, Jura Museum | |
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| Family: | Trachyteuthididae Naef, 1922 |
| Subfamily: | Trachyteuthidinae Naef, 1921 |
| Genus: | Trachyteuthis Meyer, 1846 |
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Taxonomy
The taxonomic placement of Trachyteuthis is uncertain. Though often assigned to the order Vampyromorphida, the discovery of fossilised Trachyteuthis beaks in the Upper Jurassic limestone of Germany suggests a close phylogenetic relation to the Octopoda.[4][5] It is clear that it does at least belong in the Coleoidea.[2] It is thought to be very closely related to Teudopsis.[3]
Distribution
Fossils are scarce but have been reported from the Kimmeridge clay of the UK; the Solnhofen limestone of Germany, Jurassic deposits in Antarctica,[6] and Oxfordian deposits in Chile.[3]
History
First described in 1773 as the remnants of a fish, Trachyteuthis was considered comparable to a Sepia cuttlebone by Rüppell in 1829. A separate genus was erected for the material in 1846 by Meyer.[2] English material discovered in 1855 was termed Coccoteuthis latipinnis; this was later synonymised with the identical Solnhofen deposits. A 2007 survey of museum collection established that there were ground for the erection of three species within the genus.[2]
References
External links
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