Loligosepiina

Introduction

Loligosepiina is a Jurassic-Cretaceous group of coleoids with a well-known gladius that has much in common with living Vampyroteuthis. According to Fuchs (2006) and Fuchs & Weis (2008), the Loligosepiina contains four families (Loligosepiidae, Geopeltididae, Leptotheuthididae, Mastigophoridae). Particularly, the gladius of the early Jurassic Geopeltididae remarkably resembles the Vampyroteuthis gladius in having a cup-shaped conus, a triangular median field, anteriorly extended hyperbolar zones and lateral fields that occupy c. 70% of the median field length.

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Figure: Loligosepiid gladii. A) Parabelopeltis flexuosa (Toarcian, UK), B) gladius reconstruction of Parabelopeltis flexuosa, C) Loligosepia aalensis (Toarcian, Germany), C) gladius reconstruction of Loligosepia aalensis. © Dirk Fuchs

From the late Jurassic Leptotheuthis gigas, we know numerous arm crowns consisting of eight thick arms. Additionally, Bandel & Leich (1986) figured circular suckers, cirri and an arm web.

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Figure: Head and arm crown of Leptotheuthis gigas (Tithonian, Solnhofen). © Dirk Fuchs

The Loligosepiina is regarded as an early stem-group of the Vampyromorpha that might have given rise to the Vampyroteuthididae.

Characteristics

1. Gladius
   1. Conus ventrally reduced (cup-shaped).
   2. Median field broad and triangular (anterior extremity more or less straight).
   3. Hyperbolar zone developed as notches, hyperbolar zone length more than the half median field length.
   4. Lateral fields almost as long as the hyperbolar zone
      

Classification

• Loligosepiidae† Regteren Altena, 1949
• Loligosepia Quenstedt, 1839 (Sinemurian – Toarcian)
• Loligosepia aalensis (Schübler in Zieten, 1830-33)****
• Loligosepia bucklandi (Voltz, 1840)***
• Jeletzkyteuthis Doyle, 1990 (Toarcian)
• Jeletzkyteuthis coriaceus (Quenstedt, 1845-49)***
• Geopeltididae† Regteren Altena, 1949
• Geopeltis Regteren Altena, 1949 (Toarcian)
• Geopeltis simplex (Voltz, 1840)****
• Parabelopeltis Naef, 1921 (Toarcian)
• Parabelopeltis flexuosa (Münster, 1843)**
• Leptotheuthididae† Naef, 1921
• Leptotheuthis Meyer, 1834 (Tithonian – Aptian)
• Leptotheuthis gigas Meyer, 1834****
• Leptotheuthis stuehmeri (Engeser & Reitner, 1985)
• Mastigophoridae† Engeser & Reitner, 1985
• Mastigophora Owen, 1856 (Callovian)
• Mastigophora brevipinnis Owen, 1856****
• Doryanthes Muenster, 1846 (Tithonian)
• Doryanthes munsterii D´Orbigny, 1845**
• Bavaripeltis Engeser & Keupp, 1997 (Tithonian)
• Bavaripeltis bavarica Engeser & Keupp, 1997*
• (?) Necroteuthididae† Kretzoi, 1942 (?Oligocene)
• Necroteuthis hungarica Kretzoi, 1942*

Problematic Vampyromorpha:

• “Loligosepia dusslingensis“ Reitner & Engeser, 1981*
• Vampyronassa rhodanica Fischer, 2000**
• Gramadella piveteau Fischer & Riou, 1982*
• Proteroctopus ribeti Fischer & Riou, 1982*
• Nanaimoteuthis jeletzki Tanabe et al. 2008*
  

(*only 1 specimen known; ** 2-5 specimens; *** 5-10 specimens; **** > 10 specimens)

References

Bandel, K. & Leich, H. 1986. Jurassic Vampyromorpha (dibranchiate cephalopods). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte 1986(3): 129-148.

Fuchs, D. 2006a. Fossil erhaltungsfähige Merkmalskomplexe der Coleoidea (Cephalopoda) und ihre phylogenetische Bedeutung. Berliner Paläobiologische Abhandlungen 8: 1-115.

Fuchs, D. 2006b. Re-description of Doryanthes munsterii (D´Orbigny, 1845), a poorly known vampyropod coleoid (Cephalopoda) from the Late Jurassic Solnhofen Plattenkalks. Archaeopteryx 24: 79-88.

Fuchs, D. & Weis, R. 2008. Taxonomy, morphology and phylogeny of Lower Jurassic loligosepiid coleoids (Cephalopoda). Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen 249(1): 93-112.