Published June 11, 2026
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First occurrence of the nautilid genus Pseudocenoceras (Cephalopoda, Nautilida) from the Albian of Semelenberg, Alpstein (Switzerland)
Authors/Creators
- 1. Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan|Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan|Division of Paleontology (Invertebrates), American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States of America
- 2. Naturmuseum St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
- 3. Unaffiliated, Zürich, Switzerland
Description
Over the past decade, a large number of macrofossils have been documented from the Alpstein Region (north-eastern Switzerland), shedding light on the local diversity and palaeoecology during the Early to Late Cretaceous. Although ectocochleate cephalopods exhibit some of the highest diversity and abundance within this fauna, only a few nautilid genera have been documented thus far. Here, we report a new occurrence of the Cretaceous nautilid Pseudocenoceras archiacianum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first record of the genus Pseudocenoceras from Switzerland. Additionally, this represents the first occurrence of P. archiacianum from the Albian stage. However, because early taxonomic works often underestimated the impact of ontogenetic and intraspecific variation, a comprehensive revision of the taxonomy and systematics of nautilids is needed.
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