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LITUITES Fossil Nautilus – Middle Ordovician – Songtao, Guizhou, China
LITUITES Fossil Nautilus – Middle Ordovician – Songtao, Guizhou, China - Image 2

LITUITES Fossil Nautilus – Middle Ordovician – Songtao, Guizhou, China

£24.00

This listing features a fascinating fossil nautiloid of the genus Lituites, collected from Middle Ordovician deposits near Songtao, Guizhou Province, China. Lituites represents a transitional nautiloid form with a mix of coiled and uncoiled shell structures, showcasing a unique evolutionary step in early cephalopod development.

Fossil Type & Species:

  • Type: Fossilised Nautiloid (Cephalopod)
  • Genus: Lituites
  • Species: Undetermined (genus level identified)

Geological Context:

  • Era: Paleozoic
  • Period: Ordovician
  • Epoch: Middle Ordovician (approx. 470–458 million years ago)
  • Formation: Likely marine limestones and shales from Songtao region
  • Locality: Songtao, Guizhou Province, China
  • Depositional Environment: Shallow marine platform with high faunal diversity and episodic sedimentation

Morphological Features:

  • Combines an initial planispiral coiled whorl with an extended straight (orthoconic) section
  • Ribbed ornamentation may be present on shell surface
  • Visible chambered structure indicative of buoyancy control

Scientific Notes:

  • Lituites is part of a group of early cephalopods that bridge the evolutionary gap between tightly coiled nautiloids and more straight-shelled orthoconic forms
  • Its morphology reflects an adaptation to a semi-nektonic lifestyle in Ordovician seas

Taxonomy:

  • Order: Tarphycerida
  • Superfamily: Lituitaceae
  • Family: Lituitidae

Authenticity & Display:

All of our fossils are 100% Genuine Specimens and come with a Certificate of Authenticity. The fossil shown in the photo is the actual piece you will receive.

Please refer to the image for full sizing details – scale cube = 1cm.

This is a remarkable example of early cephalopod evolution, ideal for collectors, educators, and anyone fascinated by Paleozoic marine life.

(Actual as seen)

Out of stock

SKU: SF0268 Category:

Description

This listing features a fascinating fossil nautiloid of the genus Lituites, collected from Middle Ordovician deposits near Songtao, Guizhou Province, China. Lituites represents a transitional nautiloid form with a mix of coiled and uncoiled shell structures, showcasing a unique evolutionary step in early cephalopod development.

Fossil Type & Species:

  • Type: Fossilised Nautiloid (Cephalopod)
  • Genus: Lituites
  • Species: Undetermined (genus level identified)

Geological Context:

  • Era: Paleozoic
  • Period: Ordovician
  • Epoch: Middle Ordovician (approx. 470–458 million years ago)
  • Formation: Likely marine limestones and shales from Songtao region
  • Locality: Songtao, Guizhou Province, China
  • Depositional Environment: Shallow marine platform with high faunal diversity and episodic sedimentation

Morphological Features:

  • Combines an initial planispiral coiled whorl with an extended straight (orthoconic) section
  • Ribbed ornamentation may be present on shell surface
  • Visible chambered structure indicative of buoyancy control

Scientific Notes:

  • Lituites is part of a group of early cephalopods that bridge the evolutionary gap between tightly coiled nautiloids and more straight-shelled orthoconic forms
  • Its morphology reflects an adaptation to a semi-nektonic lifestyle in Ordovician seas

Taxonomy:

  • Order: Tarphycerida
  • Superfamily: Lituitaceae
  • Family: Lituitidae

Authenticity & Display:

All of our fossils are 100% Genuine Specimens and come with a Certificate of Authenticity. The fossil shown in the photo is the actual piece you will receive.

Please refer to the image for full sizing details – scale cube = 1cm.

This is a remarkable example of early cephalopod evolution, ideal for collectors, educators, and anyone fascinated by Paleozoic marine life.

Additional information

Era

Ordovician
Origin

China

Ordovician Information

The Ordovician Period (485–443 million years ago) was a time of marine expansion and biodiversity growth, following the Cambrian Explosion. Warm, shallow seas covered much of the continents, supporting trilobites, brachiopods, corals, and the first true reefs. Jawless fish (early vertebrates) diversified, and the first sea scorpions (eurypterids) became dominant predators. On land, the first primitive plants (moss-like bryophytes) began colonizing damp environments. The climate was initially warm, but by the late Ordovician, a major ice age caused a drastic drop in sea levels, triggering the Ordovician-Silurian mass extinction, which wiped out nearly 85% of marine species. Despite this, the period laid the foundation for the rise of more complex ecosystems in the Silurian.

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