Description. Type species Ammonites splendens J. Sowerby, 1815. Genus involute to moderately evolute, compressed, with slightly convex flanks and a flattened or slightly concave venter. The ribs, sometimes reduced to simple striae, originate from small, elongated umbilical bullae and terminate in fine, dense ventrolateral tubercles, alternate on either side of the siphonal line. The sutures are closely imbricate, with a broad, low first lateral lobe (L1) with two points at the base and three terminal branches. The ventral lobe tends to shift from the plane of symmetry of the shell in later forms. Middle and Upper Albian of Europe and Transcaspia.
Main species. As with the Hoplites, Spath (1925) described numerous species (10) from the English Gault, some of which are very similar and therefore difficult to distinguish. Owen added two more in 1971. Amédro (1992) and Amédro et al. (2014) streamlined the classification by grouping most of the forms into the three main species listed below. However, there are late, unclassifiable forms that transition towards Dimorphoplites or Euhoplites, such as Anahoplites daviesi Spath, 1925.
Anahoplites intermedius Spath, 1925. A somewhat evolute ammonite (O/D = 0.25–0.30) with distinct ribs, resembling a compressed Hoplites dentatus but with a filled ventral groove. It defines the zone following that of dentatus (Middle Albian). Three species from the same zone are considered variants by Amédro et al. (2014): A. mantelli Spath, 1923, has finer and denser ribs; A. evolutus Spath, 1925, a wider umbilicus (O/D = 0.32); and A. praecox Spath, 1923, a stronger ornamentation.
Anahoplites osmingtonensis Owen, 1971. A more or less evolute species (O/D = 0.27–0.33) from the intermedius zone, smooth or with faint, blunt ribs. The umbilicus may open gradually. With growth, the venter becomes slightly concave. Adults lose all ornamentation and their body chambers develop a rounded venter. A. grimsdalei Owen, 1971 (top image), with more distinct but still relatively weak ribbing, is considered a variant by Amédro et al. (2014).
Anahoplites planus (Mantell, 1822). This ammonite (bottom image) has very thin ribs, visible especially at the top of its flanks, but it is involute (O/D = 0.14–0.22) and its whorl section is more compressed, with almost flat flanks. It is the only long-lived species, found from the intermedius zone (Middle Albian) to the pricei zone (Upper Albian). Online, A. osmingtonensis and grimsdalei are often labeled as A. planus, even though their umbilicus is too wide.