Inoceramus

Inoceramus

Taxobox
name = "Inoceramus"


image_caption = "Inoceramus" from the Cretaceous of South Dakota.
fossil_range = Cretaceous
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Mollusca
classis = Bivalvia
subclassis = Pteriomorphia
ordo = Praecardioida
familia = Inoceramidae
genus = "Inoceramus"
genus_authority = Sowerby, 1814
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =Several, including: "Inoceramus bellvuensis" "Inoceramus biformis" "Inoceramus comancheanus" "Inoceramus dakotensis" "Inoceramus perplexus" "Inoceramus pictus" "Inoceramus proximus" "Inoceramus triangularis" (but see below)

"Inoceramus" ("Strong Pot") is an extinct genus of fossil marine pteriomorphian bivalves that superficially resembled the related winged pearly oysters of the extant genus "Pteria".

The species of "Inoceramus" enjoyed a worldwide distribution during the Cretaceous period. Many examples are found in the Pierre Shale of the Western Interior Seaway in North America. "Inoceramus" can also be found abundantly in the Cretaceous Gault Clay that underlies London. Other locations for this fossil include Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada; Texas, Tennessee, California and Alaska, USA; Spain, France, and Germany.

The clam had a thick shell paved with "prisms" of calcite deposited perpendicular to the surface, which gave it a pearly luster in life. Most species have prominent growth lines which appear as raised semicircles concentric to the growing edge of the shell. Paleontologists suggest that the giant size of some species was an adaptation for life in the murky bottom waters, with a correspondingly large gill area that would have allowed the animal to cope with oxygen-deficient waters.

The number of valid species is disputed. The taxonomy of the inoceramids is also disputed, with genera such as "Platyceramus" sometimes classified as subgenus within "Inoceramus".

External links

* [http://www.paleoportal.org/fossil_gallery/detail.php?submission_id=685&taxon_id=&state_id=&period_id=&assemblage_id= The Paleontology portal fossil picture of Inoceramus]
* [http://www.cretaceousfossils.com/invertebrates/pelecypods/inoceramus_dimidius.htm cretaceousfossils.com] : "Inoceramus dimidius"
* [http://www.cretaceousfossils.com/invertebrates/pelecypods/inoceramus_perplexus.htm cretaceousfossils.com] : "Inoceramus perplexus"
* [http://fly.hiwaay.net/~dwills/fossils/uppercre.html Upper Cretaceous Bivalvia of Alabama]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Inoceramus — Inocérame (Inoceramus) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Inoceramus — In o*cer a*mus, n. [NL., fr. Gr. i s, ino s, a muscle + ? an earthen vessel.] (Paleon.) An extinct genus of large, fossil, bivalve shells, allied to the mussels. The genus is characteristic of the Cretaceous period. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Inocerămus — (I. Sow., Catillus u. Mytiloides Brogn., Fasermuschel), vorweltliche Muschelgattung aus der Familie Aviculidae (mit fast gleichen od. völlig gleichen Schalen, meist mit concentrischen Runzeln u. Streifen, Buckel etwas übergebogen, Schloßrand… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Inocerămus — Inocerămus, s. Muscheln …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Inoceramus — Inocerămus Brogn., eine im Jura und bes. in der Kreide artenreiche Muschelgattung von zungenartiger Gestalt mit breiter, flacher, dicker Schale [Abb. 860] …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Inoceramus — Inocérame (Inoceramus) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Inoceramus — ▪ paleontology  genus of extinct pelecypods (clams) found as fossils in Jurassic to Cretaceous rocks (laid down between 208 and 66.4 million years ago). Especially important and widespread in Cretaceous rocks, Inoceramus had a distinctive shell;… …   Universalium

  • Inoceramus — Inocẹramus   [griechisch kéramos »Ton«, »Ziegel«], ausgestorbene Gattung eiförmiger bis rundlicher, ungleichklappiger und ungleichseitiger, konzentrisch berippter Muscheln aus der Jura und Kreidezeit; Durchmesser bis 1 m; wichtige Leitfossilien… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • inoceramus — ino·cer·a·mus …   English syllables

  • inoceramus — ˌinōˈserəməs, ˌīn noun Usage: capitalized Etymology: New Latin, from in (III) + Greek keramos potter s clay, pottery : a genus of large filibranchiate bivalve mollusks (suborder Mytilacea) especially characteristic of the Cretaceous …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”