Perisphinctidae is a family of Middle and Upper

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

discoidal

ammonites Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttlefish) ...

in the order

Ammonitida Ammonitida is an order of ammonoid cephalopods that lived from the Jurassic through Paleocene time periods, commonly with intricate ammonitic sutures. Ammonitida is divided into four suborders, the Phylloceratina, Lytoceratina, Ancyloceratina, a ...

. They have a shell morphology that is mostly evolute, typically with biplicate, simple, or triplicate ribbing. Large forms have simple apertures and smooth body chambers while small forms have lappets and ribbed body chambers. The ammonites of PerisphinctidaeD.T Donovan, J.H. Callomon and M.K. Howarth, 1981, Classification of the Jurassic Ammonitia. The Ammonoidea, Systematics Association special volume no. 18. M.R. House and J.R. Senior, (eds). were derived from the ancestral Stephanoceratidae in the Middle Jurassic

Bajocian In the geologic timescale, the Bajocian is an age and stage in the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 170.3 Ma to around 168.3 Ma (million years ago). The Bajocian Age succeeds the Aalenian Age and precedes the Bathonian Age. Stratig ...

: perisphinctid ammonites ranged from the Bajocan until the

Tithonian In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 152.1 ± 4 Ma and 145.0 ± 4 Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the K ...

at the end of the Jurassic. This family forms the root stock of the Perisphinctoidea which gave rise directly or indirectly to the other perisphinctoid families. The Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology (Part L, 1957) includes the subfamilies Leptosphinctinae, Zigzagiceratinae, Pseudoperisphincinae, Perisphinctinae, Aataxioceratinae, Pictoniinae, Aulocostephaninae, Virgostephaninae, Dorsoplanitinae, and Virgatitinae in the Perisphictidae. Donavan ''et al'' also recognizes the subfamilies Leptosphinctinae, Zigzagiceratinae, Pseudoperisphincinae, and Perisphinctinae but leaves out the others, adding instead the Epipletoceratinae and Idoceratinae. Epipeltoceratinae is based on '' Epipletoceras'', a genus in the Aspidoceratidae in the Treatise, (subfamily Peltoceratinae). The Idoceratinae is based on ''

Idoceras ''Idoceras'' is a genus of perisphictacean ammonite, belonging to the Perisphinctidae subfamily Idoceratinae. The genus is known from the Upper Jurassic, with a widespread distribution. Shells of ''Idoceras'' are evolute, with a wide umbilicus ...

'', a genus in the, according to the Treatise, polyphyletic Ataxioceratinae. Donovan ''et al'' separates the Aulocostephaninae, including the Pictoniinae, as the Aulocosphanidae. The subfamilies Virgostephaninae, Dorsoplanitinae, and Virgatitinae are thereby separated also as separate families all from the Upper Jurassic.

References

Jurassic ammonites Ammonitida families Perisphinctoidea {{Ammonitina-stub