Cladoceramus is an extinct genus of fossil marine pteriomorphian bivalves that superficially resembled the related winged pearly oysters of the extant genus Pteria. They lived in the Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous.

Cladoceramus
Temporal range: Late Turonian-Santonian
~89.8–83.6 Ma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Pteriida
Family: Inoceramidae
Genus: Cladoceramus
Seitz 1961
Species
  • C. undulatoplicatus Roemer 1852

Description

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Adult shells of Cladoceramus are small to very large size (more than 1 metre [3 ft 3 in] in length).[1] Many species with fine, discrete, juvenile ornamentation on umbo, consisting of closely and evenly to subevenly spaced raised concentric growth lines without rugae. Posterior auricle well-defined, triangular, separated from disc by auricular sulcus; a post-umbonal sulcus occurs in some species, as do very small anterior auricles ("ears").[1]

Biostratigraphic significance

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The first appearance of the species Cladoceramus undulatoplicatus marks the beginning of the Santonian stage.

Distribution

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Fossils of the genus have been found in:[2]

United States

References

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  1. ^ a b Lower Turonian Euramerican Inoceramidae: A morphologic, taxonomic, and biostratigraphic overview. A report from the first Workshop on Early Turonian Inoceramids (Oct. 5-8, 1992) in Hamburg, Germany; organized by Heinz Hilbrecht and Peter J. Harries
  2. ^ Cladoceramus at Fossilworks.org