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A new late Carboniferous coleoid from Oklahoma, USA: implications for the early evolutionary history of the subclass Coleoidea (Cephalopoda)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 December 2017

Larisa A. Doguzhaeva
Affiliation:
Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, Stockholm SE-104 05, Sweden 〈larisa.doguzhaeva@gmail.com〉
Royal H. Mapes
Affiliation:
American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York City, New York 10024-5100, USA 〈mapes@ohio.edu〉

Abstract

The limited record of the bactritoid-like coleoid cephalopods is here expanded due to discovery of a late Carboniferous (Moscovian) orthocone comprising a phragmocone and a body chamber with a proostracum-like structure, a sheath-like rostrum, an ink sac, and a muscular mantle preserved on top of the conch. The specimen comes from the Wewoka Formation in the vicinity of the city of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, which previously yielded an orthocone indicative of an evolutionary branch of the Carboniferous cephalopods described as the order Donovaniconida Doguzhaeva, Mapes, and Mutvei, 2007a within the subclass Coleoidea Bather, 1888. Here, we describe from that site a bactritoid-like coleoid, Oklaconus okmulgeensis n. gen. n. sp. in Oklaconidae n. fam. A broad lateral lobe of the suture line and a compressed conch with a narrowed dorsal side and a broadly rounded ventral side distinguish this genus from Donovaniconus Doguzhaeva, Mapes, and Mutvei, 2002b. The muscular mantle is preserved as a dense sheet-like structure, with a crisscross pattern and a globular-lamellar ultrastructure. Recent knowledge on the early to late Carboniferous coleoids is discussed. Carboniferous coleoids show a high morphological plasticity with a capacity for being altered to create the diverse combinations of ‘bactritoid’ and ‘coleoid’ structures. This could be the principle evolutionary driver of their radiation in the late Carboniferous.

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Copyright © 2017, The Paleontological Society 
Figure 0

Fig. 1Oklaconus okmulgeensis n. gen. n. sp., AMNH 82600, Moscovian, Oklahoma, overview of three parts of the specimen: (1) the internal mold of the body chamber with exposed lateral aspect (top) and the partially preserved phragmocone (bottom); (2) body chamber section [a continuation of the body chamber in (1) to show the ink sac]; (3) inner surface of the body chamber (top) and partially preserved phragmocone (bottom) [counterpart of (1)]. bch=body chamber; cl=approximate corresponding levels of shell part in (1) and longitudinal section in (2); cpp=crushed apical portion of the phragmocone; is=ink sac; m=matrix; s=septum; sw=shell wall; *-*=approximate corresponding levels of shell part (1) and counterpart (3).

Figure 1

Fig. 2Oklaconus okmulgeensis n. gen. n. sp., AMNH 82600, Moscovian, Oklahoma: (1, 2) two views of the deep septum showing a broad lateral lobe; (3) proostracum-like structure positioned in front of the broad mural ring of the last septum; (4) ovoid cross section of the body chamber; (5) ventromarginal septal foramen; (6) narrow convex proostracum-like structure repeating a narrowed shape of the dorsal side of the conch (view from the last septum); (7) proostracum-like structure partially exposed beneath the shell wall and sheath-like rostrum on the narrow dorsal side of the conch. bch=body chamber; D=dorsal side of conch; mm=muscular mantle; msr=mural septal ring; pro=proostracum-like structure; s=septum; sf=septal foramen; sw=shell wall; V=ventral side of conch.

Figure 2

Fig. 3Oklaconus okmulgeensis n. gen. n. sp., AMNH 82600, Moscovian, Oklahoma: (1) position of well-preserved fragment of proostracum-like structure and muscular mantle shown on Figures 2.2 and 3 (detail of 1.1); (2) proostracum-like structure with a central concentric pattern surrounded by longitudinally folded muscular mantle; (3) proostracum-like structure and muscular mantle shown in (2), positioned with an angle of ~180º to show that the dorsal side of the proostracum-like structure is covered by folds of the muscular mantle; (4) ink sac surrounded by shell-wall debris partially fractured by compaction of body chamber. bch=body chamber; ch=chamber of the phragmocone; is=ink sac; ls=last septum; m=matrix; mm=muscular mantle; ms=mural part of septum; pro=proostracum-like structure; pro+mm=proostracum-like structure plus muscular mantle; s=septum; sf=septal foramen; su=suture.

Figure 3

Fig. 4Oklaconus okmulgeensis n. gen. n. sp., AMNH 82600, Moscovian, Oklahoma, muscular mantle on the external surface of the body chamber, with an imprint left by removed proostracum-like structure (SEM): (1) the exposed inner surface of the muscular mantle (top left) compressed between the body chamber wall (left) and the matrix of the concretion (bottom right); the imprint of a proostracum-like structure is seen on the inner surface of the muscular mantle (adoral conch direction=top/right corner); (2) crisscross pattern on the internal surface of the muscular mantle; (3) inner surface of the muscular mantle exposed where the shell wall is fractured and removed; fine longitudinal folds of the mantle are evident; (4) crisscross pattern on the inner surface of the muscular mantle; (5) microlaminated ultrastructure of the muscular mantle; (6) microglobular ultrastructure of the muscular mantle. imm=inner surface of muscular mantle; ipro=imprint of proostracum-like structure; isw=inner shell wall surface; m=matrix; mm=muscular mantle; msr=mural septal ring.

Figure 4

Fig. 5Oklaconus okmulgeensis n. gen. n. sp., AMNH 82600, Moscovian, Oklahoma (SEM): (1) approximately equally thick shell wall (top) and sheath-like rostrum (bottom) in the middle part of the body chamber; (2) narrow ventral siphuncle with long mural parts of septa and holochoanitic ventral portion of septal neck; (3) equally thick shell wall and loosely mineralized, supposedly organic rich sheath-like rostrum; (4) adoral surface and longitudinal section of last septum, spherical portion of siphuncle, proportionally thick shell wall, and thin sheath-like rostrum; (5) long mural part of septum, shell wall, and sheath-like rostrum in the penultimate chamber of the phragmocone where the sheath-like rostrum is proportionally thinner; (6) porous structure of connecting ring showing regularly spaced pore channels. cr=connecting ring; mps=mural part of septum; pc=pore channel of connecting ring; s=septum; si=siphuncle; sn=septal neck; sr=sheath-like rostrum; sw=shell wall.

Figure 5

Fig. 6Oklaconus okmulgeensis n. gen. n. sp., AMNH 82600, Moscovian, Oklahoma, ink sac wall, ink structures, and ultrastructures (SEM): (1) cross section of the ink sac from the body chamber; (2) compartment structure of ink sac and complex ultrastructure of the partitions between compartments; (3) microglobular ultrastructure of ink material; (4) three-layered ink sac wall ultrastructure. i=fossilized ink; isw=ink sac wall; m=matrix.