The higher taxonomic nomenclature of Devonian to Cretaceous ammonoids and Jurassic to Cretaceous ammonites including their authorship and publication

For the taxon comprising all Devonian to Cretaceous ammonoids, a variety of conflicting names with different authorship and taxonomic rank are available and have been repeatedly cited. Here, we review the primary literature and suggest the appropriate name, authorship and date of publication; we suggest the rank of a superorder for the ammonoids. The monophylum including all Devonian to Cretaceous ammonoids is here called Ammonoida. For the traditional suborder Ammonitina comprising Jurassic and Cretaceous forms the taxonomic rank of an order named Ammonitida is suggested to match the ranking of Palaeozoic ammonoid groups. Although the International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature only cover categories from subspecies to superfamily levels, similar procedures are applied to the higher taxonomic categories described here in order to avoid further inconsistencies in cephalopod taxonomy. Schlagworte - Ammonitida • Ammonitina • Ammonoidea • Ammonacea • Ammonidae • Ammonitae • Ammonitidae • Ammonoides • Devonian to Cretaceou