Platyceras is a genus of extinct Paleozoic , marine gastropod in the family Platyceratidae. This genus is known from the Silurian to the Middle Triassic periods and especially abundant in the Devonian and Carboniferous.[Paleobiology Database. Platyceras at Fossilworks.org] It is the type genus of the family Platyceratidae.
Description
Platyceras has a distinctive, curved conical shape that is easily recognized. The cap-like shell is high and broad anteriorly. The posterior portion of the shell, at the apex, is usually slightly coiled in an asymmetrical fashion. Frequently, the front portions of the shells are broken, though the posterior sections are relatively well preserved.
Platyceras is particularly abundant in
Devonian deposits (416 million to 359 million years old).
[ Platyceras and other Platyceratidae are known for the complex symbiotic relationships they had with crinoids.][Baumiller T. K. (2003). "Evaluating the interaction between platyceratid gastropods and crinoids; a cost-benefit approach". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 201(3-4): 199-209. .]
Distribution
Fossils of Platyceras have been found all over the world,[ among others in the Silurian Bertie Formation of Ontario and New York and the Devonian Floresta Formation of Boyacá, Colombia.][Mojica & Villarroel, 1984, pp.65-69]
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T. A. Conrad. 1840. Third annual report on the palaeontological department of the survey. New York Geological Survey, Annual Report 4(1):199-207
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