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Orthoceratia
Orthoceratoidea is a major subclass of nautiloid cephalopods. Members of this subclass usually have orthoconic (straight) to slightly cyrtoconic (curved) shells, and central to subcentral siphuncles which may bear internal deposits. Orthoceratoids are also characterized by dorsomyarian muscle scars (a small number of large scars concentrated at the top of the body chamber), extensive cameral deposits, and calciosiphonate connecting rings with a porous and calcitic inner layer. Currently, Orthoceratoidea comprises the orders Riocerida, Dissidocerida, Actinocerida, Pseudorthocerida, Lituitida and Orthocerida. Orthocerida is a noteworthy paraphyletic order which is ancestral to the major cephalopod groups such as the extinct ammonoids and living coleoids (cephalopods without external shells, including squids, octopus, cuttlefish, etc.). Taxonomy As a superorder, Orthoceratiodea was one of six superorders within the Nautiloidea, the others being the Plectronoceratoidea (= Ell ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nautiloid
Nautiloids are a group of marine cephalopods ( Mollusca) which originated in the Late Cambrian and are represented today by the living ''Nautilus'' and ''Allonautilus''. Fossil nautiloids are diverse and speciose, with over 2,500 recorded species. They flourished during the early Paleozoic era, when they constituted the main predatory animals. Early in their evolution, nautiloids developed an extraordinary diversity of shell shapes, including coiled morphologies and giant straight-shelled forms ( orthocones). Only a handful of rare coiled species, the nautiluses, survive to the present day. In a broad sense, "nautiloid" refers to a major cephalopod subclass or collection of subclasses (Nautiloidea ''sensu lato''). Nautiloids are typically considered one of three main groups of cephalopods, along with the extinct ammonoids (ammonites) and living coleoids (such as squid, octopus, and kin). While ammonoids and coleoids are monophyletic clades with exclusive ancestor-descendant rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
