Foordiceras Hyatt 1893

Genus Foordiceras Hyatt, 1893 Type species Nautilus goliathus Waagen, 1879; original designation. Diagnosis Genus of the family Foordiceratidae with a subevolute conch with equidimensional or depressed trigonal or trapezoidal whorl profile. Umbilical margin in the intermediate stage pronounced and subangular, in the adult stage missing. Sculpture with coarse nodes on the ventral shoulder. Suture line with shallow external lobe or low external saddle and broadly rounded lateral lobe; without annular process. Siphuncle with subcentral position ventrad of septum centre. Included Permian species Pakistan (de Koninck 1863; Waagen 1879; Reed 1931): Nautilus Flemingianus de Koninck, 1863, Wuchiapingian, Salt Range; Nautilus goliathus Waagen, 1879, Wuchiapingian, Salt Range; Foordiceras grypoceroides Reed, 1931, Wuchiapingian, Salt Range. Central Europe (Prinoth & Posenato 2007): Foordiceras dolomiticum Prinoth & Posenato, 2007, Changhsingian, Dolomites. Central Iran (this paper): Foordiceras eicosacanthum sp. nov., Wuchiapingian; Foordiceras decacanthum sp. nov., Wuchiapingian; Foordiceras ascetum sp. nov., Wuchiapingian. Remarks Foordiceras is a genus that has been interpreted in very different ways. Miller & Youngquist (1949) defined it very broadly and included a number of species that are now placed in other genera such as Pseudofoordiceras (Ruzhencev & Shimansky 1954). Here, Foordiceras is reduced to a narrow morphological circle, which is mainly defined by the rounded triangular or trapezoidal whorl profile and a sculpture with coarse ventrolateral nodes.