ialontolngia ndita,

REVISION OF THE JURASSIC CEPHALOPOD
FAUNA OF KACHH (CUTCH).
BY
L. F. SPATH, D.Sc., F.G.S.
PART Ill.
Super-family: STEPHANOCERATIDAE.
Since the Jurassic deposits of Kachh have yielded only very few pre.
'Callovian Cephalopods, it is unnecessary to deal in detail with the early members
of the present super-family. The Stephanoceratidae* in the restricted sense,
although typically Bajocian, with genera like Polyplectites ( = group of Amm.
linguiferus d'Orbigny and 'Stephanoceras' daubenyi, Gemmellaro) undoubtedly
persisted to the Middle and even Upper Bathonian (Siemiradzkian and Oxyceritan).
No forms of this family, or of Sphaeroceratidae and of Tulitidae,
descendants of Stephanoceratidae s.s., have yet been found in Kachh.
There are, however, certain members of the two Bajocian-Balhonian families
Parkinsonidae and Morphoceratidae, also descendants of Stephanoceratids
s.s., that may be discussed since they show similarity to the Kachh form described
by Waagen as 'Perisphinctes' decorus._ This species, for which the new
generic name Epimorphoceras is proposed below, will require detailed discussion.
It had been included already by Lemoine in Reineckeia, but it is of the same
early age as Procerites hians and 'Perisphinctes' congener (Waagen), described
in the next part of this work. The earliest cephalopods so far known from
Kachh are probably il1egateuthis sp. ind. (p. 19), preserved in an orange-coloured
dolomite, and the doubtful impressions of Paroecotraustes ( Oecotraustes 1) sp .
(p. 80) in a non-calcareous, greenish-grey shale. The uppermost beds of the
Patcham (= Putchum) G:roup, consisting of a light-grey, compact, flinty, limestone,
included by' Waagen in the Bathonian, have yielded very few ammonites,
notably some large Macrocephalites, in addition to Procerites-like Perisphinctids.
One of the Macrocephalites, however, belongs to a species that apparently
till occurs in the overlying 'Macrocephalus Shales', whilst it may be
just 'collection-failure' that there are no 'bullati' or other types characteristic
of the upper Bathonian, such as distinguish the faunas (with typical
Macrocephalites) recorded by Popovici-Hatzeg (1905) and Simionescu (1905)
··With regard to the name 8tepha1WCeras Waagen, it is not now held to be invalid through prior use (of Stephao
1WCeroa Ehrenberg). Mr. Buckman who replaced 8tepha1WCeras by Stepheoceras on account of this preoccupation (the
genotype remaining the same :-namely St. humphrie.Bianum Sower by sp.) maintained the alteration in his Type Ammonites
(Vol. IT, 1918, p. XI), yet in the next volume (III, 1921, p. 55) held that Sagittoceras Hind, does not invalidate 8agit­
•Pcera8 Buokman, aince nomenclatorial rules stated that the distinction of a letter was sufficient. The family name StepliG'MJCef'atidae
Neumayr is thus re-instated, but not used in Mascke's ( 1907, p. 32) interpretation and in the restricted
-.ense corresponds neither with Stephwceratidru Buckman (1898, p. 461) nor ·Kith Stepheoceratida.e Loozy 1915 (p. 347).
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