Donacoceras

Donacoceras Temporal range: Ordovician
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Cephalopoda
Subclass:	Orthoceratoidea
Order:	Orthocerida
Genus:	Donacoceras Foerste (1925)

Donacoceras is an extinct genus of actively mobile carnivorous cephalapod, essentially a Nautiloid that lived in what would be North America during the Ordovician from 460.5—443.7 mya, existing for approximately 16.8 million years.^[1]

Taxonomy

Donacoceras was named by Foerste (1925). It was assigned to Orthocerida by Teichert et al. (1964); and to Endocerida by Sepkoski (2002).^[2][3]

Morphology

The shell is usually long, and may be straight ("orthoconic") or gently curved. In life, these animals may have been similar to the modern squid, except for the long shell.

Fossil distribution

Fossil distribution is exclusive to Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec, Canada .

References

1. ^ PaleoBiology Database: Donacoceras, basic info
2. ^ C. Teichert, B. Kummel, W.C. Sweet, H.B. Stenzel, W.M. Furnish, B.F. Glenister, H.K. Erben, R.C. Moore, and D.E. Nodine Zeller. 1964. Cephalopoda - general features - Endoceratoidea - Actinoceratoidea - Nautiloidea - Bactritoidea. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology K(3):1-519
3. ^ J. J. Sepkoski. 2002. A compendium of fossil marine animal genera. Bulletins of American Paleontology 363:1-560

Paleontology portal