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The color pattern on a Cretaceous nautiloid from South Dakota

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2015

Royal H. Mapes  and
Timothy S. Evans
Royal H. Mapes
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens 45701
Timothy S. Evans
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
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Extract

Preservation of relict color patterns on fossil nautiloid cephalopods is a relatively rare phenomenon. Reports of this phenomenon as summarized by Kobluck and Mapes (1989, table 2) for the Paleozoic indicate that perhaps as many as 32 genera with coiled, orthoconic, and cyrtoconic conchs have been described with relict color patterns. However, reports of Mesozoic occurrences are limited to only Ophionautilus? in the Jurassic (Shimanski, 1962) and Eutrephoceras in the Cretaceous (Shimanski, 1962; Landman, 1982). Cenozoic reports are limited to Aturia in the Tertiary (Foerste, 1930; Shimanski, 1962; Teichert, 1964) and modern Nautilus (see Saunders and Landman, 1987, for an extensive treatment). The reports on both Mesozoic occurrences are limited to description of external conch morphology, detailed appearance of the color patterns, and the relationship of the remnant color pattern to the conch morphology. Indeed, the specimen discussed herein was originally illustrated by Landman (1982, fig. 8), with a caption indicating the presence of possible color banding. Analysis of this Cretaceous specimen allows comparison to Nautilus and provides a suggestion as to the evolution of certain mature color patterns in coiled cephalopods from the late Mesozoic to Recent.

Type
Paleontological Notes
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 69 , Issue 4 , July 1995 , pp. 785 - 786
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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