Created 2023/02/23
Updated 2025/11/05
Glossary of technical terms
Abreviations used: "adj" = adjective, "adv" = adverb, "ant" = antonym (contrary), "e.g." (exempli gratia) = example, "pl" = plural, "syn" = synonym, and "–" for the word being defined.
A
- abrupt. Having an almost vertical slope: – umbilical wall. Syn steep.
- accessory. Subdivision of suture elements: – lobe or saddle.
- acute. With a sharp edge or forming an angle smaller than 90°: – spine, rib or venter. Syn sharp.
- adapical. Toward apex of shell, backward direction. Syn apical.
- adoral. Toward aperture of shell, forward direction. Syn adapertural.
- adventive. Suture element formed secondarily by subdivision of first lateral saddle: – lobe. Syn adventitious.
- aff. From Latin species affinis: species related to. Used when the exact identity of a specimen is uncertain but it has a striking similarity or close relation with a known species. E.g., Hoplites aff. dentatus.
- alternate. Ribs interrupted on venter, their ends on one side of the siphonal line are offset relative to the other side: the – ribs of Hoplites dentatus.
- ammonite index. Species selected to define an ammonite zone. Syn zone ammonite.
- ammoniticone. N and adj. Coiled in a plane to form a spiral with whorls in contact or overlapping (majority of ammonite species).
- ancylocone. N and adj. Shell coiled in a plane, with disjoint whorls (open spiral), followed by a straight or curved shaft and a terminal hook. E.g. Ancyloceras matheronianum. Syn ancyloceratid, ancylocone.
- apical angle. Angle formed by the apex (the pointed tip and oldest part of the shell) in gastropods and turriliticone ammonites (coiled in a conical helix).
- antisiphonal. – line: spiral line following the middle of the dorsum, in contact with the siphonal line of previous whorl.
- aperture. Free end of the shell, exit of body chamber. Syn mouth.
- APB. Our abbreviation for the Anglo-Paris Basin.
- apex. Origin of the spiral of whorls.
- apical. Toward apex of shell, backward direction.
- apical chamber. First chamber of shell. Syn initial chamber, protoconch.
- apically. On the apical side.
- apophyse. Forward projection of peristome in adult ammonites. Syn lappet.
- aptychus. One of the two symmetric plates used by ammonites to close their mouth.
- arched. Arch-shaped. Syn arcuate, arcuated.
- area. See region.
- aspinoceratid. N and adj. An uncommon term used by Casey and Spath. It describes a heteromorph ammonite comprising a more or less open, flat spiral, then a curved shaft and a moderately curved crook, as in the genus Aspinoceras, now called Hoplocrioceras (Wright, 1996).
- assemblage zone. Ammonite zone with imprecise limits, defined by the simultaneous presence of the index species with a given list of other species. Syn association zone.
- attenuated. Faint or partially erased. – ornamentation.
- auricle. See lappet.
- auxiliary. Defines a saddle after the second lateral saddle or a lobe after the second lateral lobe.
B
- baculicone. N and adj. Shell straight, apart from a small initial coiled portion, as in Baculites.
- bottom. Lower half of a flank, above umbilical edge. Syn inferior part.
- bicarenate. Bearing two carinas: – venter.
- bifurcate. Dividing into two branches toward venter: – rib. Syn biplicate, bifid.
- binomial nomenclature. Identification of a vegetal or animal species, existing or extinct, by two Latin words in italics: a genus name, beginning with a capital letter, followed by an adjective or noun complement in lowercase for the name of the species. E.g., Hoplites dentatus.
- black shale. A very fine-grained, layered sedimentary rock, rich in organic matter (coal or bitumen) giving it a black color, and formed under anoxic conditions.
- blunt. Terminated by an angle with rounded tip: – tubercle; – ribs.
- BM or BMNH. Initials of the British Museum (Natural History) in London, used for instance in specimen codes cited by Spath and Casey. The current name is the Natural History Museum.
- bulla. Radially elongated tubercle. Pl bullae.
C
- cadicone. N and adj. Barrel-shaped involute ammonite with depressed whorls, wide venter and narrow umbilicus.
- camera. Compartment of the shell delimited by two successive septa. Pl camerae. Syn chamber.
- carina. Longitudinal ridge following the siphonal line on venter. Pl carinas or carinae. Syn keel.
- carinate. Bearing a carina: – venter. Syn keeled.
- cf. From Latin confer (to compare). Abbreviation inserted between the genus name and the species name, when the specimen is difficult to identify due to practical difficulties such as poor conservation. For instance, Hoplites cf. dentatus means that the genus Hoplites has been recognized but that the identification of the species (dentatus) is not certain.
- chamber. See camera.
- channel. Narrow and deep groove along siphonal line, as in Euhoplites.
- chevron. V-shaped ridge on shell surface: ribs with a ventral –.
- clavate. Bearing clavi: Douvilleiceras mammillatum has clavate ribs.
- claviform. Having the shape of a clavus.
- clavus. Tubercle longitudinally elongated, in direction of coiling. Pl clavi.
- coiling. The way the primordial cone is folded in space.
- collar. Flared rib encircling a whorl just behind the peristome. Syn labial ridge.
- complex. Said of a very incised suture line.
- compressed. – whorl section: higher than wide, with H/E > 1.
- concave. 1. Broadly impressed: – venter. 2. Bowed away from aperture: – rib.
- conch. Complete shell of an ammonite, less the protoconch (initial chamber).
- conspecific. Belonging to the same species: – ammonites.
- constriction. Depression encircling a whorl.
- convergent. Converging toward venter: – whorl sides.
- convex. 1. Uniformly rounded: – flank. 2. Bowed toward aperture: – ribs.
- cordate. Having the aspect of a rope, or composed of a sequence of nodes: – keel, as in genus Amaltheus.
- coronate. With whorl section resembling a crown viewed from side, with depressed whorls, a wide and flattened venter and divergent flanks, as in genus Epicheloniceras.
- costate. Bearing ribs. Syn ribbed.
-
- costation. Appaerance of ribs or set of ribs: The – probably reinforces the shell. Syn ribbing
- costa. More or less radial ridge on shell. Pl costae. Syn rib.
- costule. Thin rib. Syn riblet.
- course. Trajectory followed by a rib, a sulcus, a constriction.
- crenulate. Having an edge with numerous rounded or quadrate indentations, like a saw, an oak leave or the battlements of a castle: – carina. Syn Crenate.
- crescent. Area delimited by two arcs with different curvatures: crescent-shaped ribs. Adj crescentic.
- criocone. N and adj. Coiled in plane regular spiral, loose or tight, but with whorls not in contact, as in Crioceras.
- cross. Hook-shaped end of the shell in heteromorph ammonites like Hamites and Scaphites, following the shaft and curved towards the initial spiral. Syn terminal hook.
- crushed. Flattened in a plane due to sediment pressure during fossilization : – shell.
- cyrtocone. N and adj. Shell curved without completing a single whorl (horn-shaped).
D
- D. Notation for the diameter of the shell, expressed in mm.
- dissected. With numerous divisions or indentations: – suture line. Syn incised, divided.
- dense. – costation: very close ribs, in general with narrower interspaces.
- depressed. Wider than high, with H/E < 1: – section. Ant compressed.
- dextral. In helically coiled heteromorph ammonites, the whorls are dextral if they are coiled clockwise when moving from the apex to the aperture of the shell. Ant sinistral.
- diagnosis. Scientific description of an animal or vegetal species, extinct or not.
- diameter (shell). Maximum dimension of the shell, denoted D.
- diameter (umbilicus). Distance between two opposite points on the umbilical seam of the last whorl, as close as possible to the aperture.
- dimensions. Shell measurements that comprise: the diameter of the shell, the height of last whorl section, its thickness, and the diameter of umbilicus (D, H ,T, U), with H, T, U often given as a percentage of D. Sometimes completed by the whorl overlap rate R/h and the whorl expansion rate H/h.
- dimorphic. Descriptive term for ammonite species comprising two distinct shell forms, usually of different sizes. The largest one or macroconch is regarded as female while the smallest or microconch is considered as male.
- diphyllic. Terminated by two equally-sized folioles: a – saddle.
- discoid. Ammonite having a compressed whorl section with converging sides, a relatively narrow venter and the overall shape of a flattened sphere, like a discus in athletism or an optical lens.
- divided. – suture line: see dissected.
- dorsum. For ammoniticone ammonites, portion of conch in contact with the venter of preceding whorl, invisible unless the ammonite is broken. For uncoiled ammonite, area of whorl opposite to venter.
- dwarf. Abnormally small form of a taxon.
E
- endotype. Ammonite specimen selected to represent a subtype or variant.
- evolute. With whorls overlapping little or not at all and therefore having a wide umbilicus. Ant involute. In practice, an ammonite is said evolute if its whorl overlap H/h is below 50% (some authors use U/D > 25%).
- ex. gr. From Latin ex grege = "from the group of". Between a genus name and a species name, it means that the exact species has not been identified formally, but that the specimen belongs to the group of the named species.
- excentric. – umbilicus: becoming abruptly wider or narrower close to the aperture.
- exterior. N and adj. Visible part of a volume, e.g. a shell. Syn outside (n and adv), outer (adj).
- external. 1. On the ventral or peripheral part of the shell (– half of flanks), syn ventral. 2. – whorl: last whorl. 3. – suture: for coiled forms only, exposed part of suture, excluding the part in contact with the preceding whorl.
F
- feeble. – ribs: attenuated, in low relief. Syn weak, faint.
- falcate. Sickle-shaped: – ribs of Cleoniceras.
- falcoid. Approaching the shape of a sickle.
- fasciculate. – ribbing: with ribs bunched or bundled to form sheaves.
- fastigiate. Roof-shaped, periphery of shell sharp but not keeled: – venter of Pleurohoplites.
- fibulate. Adjacent ribs branching and reuniting, usually between one umbilical and one ventrolateral tubercle: – ribs of Otohoplites subhilli. Syn lautiform.
- flattened. Adj. With a flat shape or made flat: – venter. .
- fig. Abbreviation to refer to a figure.
- flank. Side of a whorl, between the ventrolateral shoulder and the umbilical edge. Syn whorl side.
- flared. – ribs: in higher relief than average ribs. Syn inflated, swollen.
- flexuous. See sigmoid.
- foliole. Minor rounded element of saddle of a suture.
- forward. By convention, toward the aperture of the shell in the direction of coiling. – flank of a rib. Syn .
- frilled. With numerous rounded folds: – suture.
G
- globular. More or less spherical: – shell.
- growth lines. Successive striae encircling whorl and marking growth increments of shell. Syn striae of growth.
- GSM. Initials of the Geological Survey Museum in London, used in specimen codes by Spath and Casey.
- gyrocone. N and adj. Loosely coiled shell that completes only a single whorl approximately.
H
- H. Symbol for the height of whorl section, also written Wh (whorl height), measured as close as possible to the aperture.
- h. Symbol for the height of the penultimate whorl, measured at the beginning of last whorl.
- hamiticone. N and adj. Heteromorph ammonite comprising a small spiral in the plane, with disjoint whorls, followed by a shaft folded in two or three straight and parallel segments, as in Hamites. Syn hamitocone, hamitid.
- height. Height of whorl measured at right angle to maximum width, comprising distance from middle of venter to middle of dorsum, plus depth of impressed area. Some authors measure the oblique whorl height, i.e., the length of a straight line from umbilical seam to middle of venter.
- hardground. Upper part of a carbonate layer that has been exposed to the sea floor and lithified, due to an interruption of sedimentation. Such surfaces are rich in fossils that were able to thrive without being buried, for instance corals, sea urchins and lithophagous mollusks.
- heteromorph. N and adj. Ammonoid shell of any form, except planispiral with whorls in contact (ammoniticone). Such ammonites correspond to suborder Ancyloceratina. The hetemorph stage can be limited to the first whorls and then evolve toward an ammoniticone coiling, as in Deshayesites and Douvilleiceras.
- holotype. Ammonite specimen selected by a paleontologist to create a new species in a publication. Later it must be accessible to other researchers, in a museum for instance.
- homeomorph. N and adj. For to two genera of ammonites that evolution has caused to converge towards a common form, even though they have no common ancestor, e.g., Lyelliceras and Prolyelliceras, Brancoceras and Pseudobrancoceras.
I
- ICZN. International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Set of rules to define scientific names of organisms treated as animals. It applies in particular to fossil animals.
- impressed area. Part of whorl between umbilical seams, in contact with preceding whorl.
- indented. With a notched edge: – carina.
- inflated. – shell: with a large T/D ratio, like Sonneratia globulosa.
- intercalatory. N and adj. Secondary rib non attached to a primary rib, and in general shorter. Syn intermediate.
- interior. N and adj. Invisible part of a volume, e.g., a shell. Syn inside (n and adv), inner (adj).
- interlocked. Adjacent suture lines with more or less imbricated elements (saddles or lobes). Syn nested.
- internal. 1. On the dorsum, invisible and opposite to venter: – part of whorl. 2. On the side of the umbilicus: – third of flank. 3. – whorls: all whorls except last one. 4. – suture: invisible part of the suture, in contact with preceding whorl.
- internal mold. Internal part of a shell when the test is removed. It is preserved only when filled by sediments. Syn cast, steinkern.
- interspace. Space between two adjacent ribs. Syn intercostal space.
- interval zone. Ammonite zone between the emergence of the index species of the zone and the emergence of the index of next zone, or between the disparition of the index-species of preceding zone and the one of the index of current zone. Example 1 : the Otohoplites subhilli interval zone ranges from the appearance of this species to the one of Isohoplites steinmanni. Some O. subhilli can subsist in its lower part. Example 2: the Dimorphoplites niobe interval zone spans from the disappearance of Hoplites dentatus to the one of D. niobe. Some D. niobe can be already present at the top of the dentatus zone.
- involute. With strongly overlapping whorls and therefore with a narrow umbilicus. In practice, an ammonite is said involute if its whorl overlap H/h exceeds 50% (some authors use U/D < 25%).
- involution ratio. Ratio R/h: fraction of the height of penultimate whorl that is covered by last whorl. Syn involution coefficient
L
- lanceolate. Spear-shaped: – cross-section of a whorl.
- lappet. Simple or necked (spatulate) projection of peristome on whorl sides or venter. Syn ear, auricle.
- lateral. On the flanks of whorls: – lateral tubercles. Applied also to the two first lobes (saddles) after the the ventral lobe (saddle), when moving from venter to umbilicus.
- lautiform. See fibulate.
- lectotype. Specimen selected in the original material as type of an ammonite species, when the original publication has not designated a holotype or if the latter has been lost.
- line of involution. Spiral trajectory of the umbilical seam.
- lira. Fine, raised lines on shell surface. It can be radial, like a rib, or longitudinal. Pl lirae.
- living chamber. Last and long chamber of the shell, from the last septum to the aperture (mouth), inhabited by the living ammonite. Syn body chamber.
- lobe. Element of suture directed backward (adapically).
- lobule. Small division of a lobe.
- longicone. N and adj. See orthocone.
- longitudinal. In direction of coiling of the shell: – lirae. Ant radial.
- looped. United on ventrolateral shoulder, usually at a tubercle: – looped ribs of Otohoplites raulinianus. Syn lautiform.
- lower. 1. Less high in position or older: – Albian. 2. For the area close to umbilicus: – part of flanks: . Syn inferior.
M
- M. Letter after a specimen name to indicate a macroconch, e.g., Cardioceras scarburgense (M).
- m. Letter after a specimen name to indicate a microconch.
- macroconch. N and adj. The larger of the two shell forms in a dimorphic species, often with a plain aperture.
- microconch. N and adj. The smaller of the two shell forms in a dimorphic species. Its aperture often bears lateral lappets or a ventral rostrum.
- MNHN. Abbreviation for the "Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle" in Paris.
- monomorph. N and adj. With a shell coiled in a plane spiral. Syn ammoniticone. Ant heteromorph.
- mouth. Open end of body chamber. Syn aperture.
N
- neotype. A specimen selected later as type of an ammonite, when the holotype has been lost or destroyed, or when the original author has never designated a specimen.
- node. Large, blunt, or formless tubercle. Syn nodosity.
- nucleus. First internal whorls preserved of a shell, the rest being crushed or not fossilized. Pl nuclei.
O
- oblique. Diverging from a vertical line or plane: – umbilical wall.
- obtuse. 1. Forming an angle exceeding 90°: – chevron. 2. With a rounded or blunt crest: – ribs. Syn blunt.
- ogival. Term that should be reserved to whorl sections like a true (gothic) ogive, i.e., with flanks parallel at first, then converging to an angular venter. Used loosely by many authors for any compressed section with a more or less narrow venter.
- ontogenesis. Description of the progressive development of an organism, with its growth stages. Syn ontogeny.
- opposite ribs. Ribs interrupted on venter, with ends opposite those on the other side, e.g., Isohoplites steinmanni.
- ornament. Details of the test such as ribs, tubercles, lirae, carinae, or constrictions.
- ornamentation. Set of shell ornaments.
- orthocone. N and adj. Long and straight cone-shaped shell, as in Baculites and Orthoceras. Syn longicone.
- overlap. whorl –. Height of previous whorl that is covered by the last whorl, measured at the beginning of the latter.
- overlapping. – whorls: when each whorl has a concave dorsum covering a major part of preceding whorl.
- oxycone. N and adj. Very compressed shell with acute venter and very narrow or occluded umbilicus, as in genus Aconeceras.
P
- paedomorphic. For ammonites retaining juvenile features in the adult stage.
- partial-range zone. Ammonite zone between the disappearance of the index-species of preceding zone and the appearance of the index of succeeding zone. Example: the Hoplites dentatus partial-range zone ranges from the disparition of Hoplites benettianus to the appearance of Anahoplites intermedius. Some H. dentatus are already present at the top of the à benettianus zone and still present in the lower part of the intermedius zone.
- peristome. Edge of aperture of body chamber, border of the mouth, corresponding to shell growth zone.
- phosphatic. Composed of phosphate: – nodule.
- phragmocone. Septate part of the shell, without body chamber: many ammonites are preserved as phragmocones.
- phyletic zonation. Zonation based on the evolution of one or several families of ammonites, in which the successive index species are characterized by simple evolutionary criteria. For instance, the phyletic zonation proposed by Amédro (1992) for the Albian relies on the evolution of the Hoplitidae, followed by the Brancoceratinae..
- phyllite. Foliole of a saddle shaped like a spatula or a balloon (wide and rounded).
- phylloid. For saddles with leaf-shaped or balloon-like terminations (folioles), as in Phylloceras.
- phylogeny. Study of the evolution of existing or fossil species, in order to determine their relationships.
- pl. Abbreviation in publications to refer to a plate number.
- platycone. N and adj. Shell with flattened form, without reference to width of umbilicus or shape of venter (contrary to oxycone).
- preceding. – rib, whorl, or chamber: the closest one when going backward (toward apex). Syn previous.
- primary. 1. – rib: more or less straight part of a branching rib, under the branching point. 2. Long unbranched (= simple) ribs between series of shorter scondary ribs. 3. – lobes – : ventral lobe plus 1st and 2nd lateral lobes (the other lobes being auxiliary). 4. – saddles: ventral saddle plus the 1st and 2nd lateral saddle, the others being auxiliary.
- primordial cone. Theoretical cone, coiled or not, describing the shell.
- principal. – ribs, see primary.
- projected. – ribs: strongly bent close to venter (forward if not specified.
- protoconch. First chamber of the shell.
- proverse. – ribs: shif forward when moving from the umbilicus to the venter. Syn prorsiradiate .
- pyritic. Made of pyrite: – nuclei are frequent in clays.
- pyritized. Transformed into pyrite: on this specimen, only internal whorls are –.
R
- R. Our symbol for whorl overlap, i.e., the height of the previous whorl that is covered by the last whorl, at the beginning of the latter.
- radial. Direction outward from center of umbilicus, at right angles to axis of coiling and growth. Syn transverse.
- region. A part of the shell delimited in space: ventral –. Syn area, zone.
- reniform. – section: kidney or bean-shaped, as in Douvilleiceras.
- retroverse. – ribs: shift backward when moving from the umbilicus to the venter. Syn rursiradiate.
- rib index. More or less radially direced ridge on shell, sometimes costa.
- rib index. Number of ribs on a distance equal to maximum preserved whorl height, mainly used for heteromorph ammonites.
- rib termination. Points on shell where a rib stops, for instance close to the umbilical seam and on each side of siphonal line in genus Hoplites. These terminations often bear radial (bullae) or longitudinal (clavi) tubercles.
- robust. Said of an ammonite with particularly strong ribs or tubercles. Syn coarse.
- rostrum. Pointed projection of peristome on venter, visible on complete specimens. It can be an extension of siphonal line, or diverge from it, or even be coiled as in Mortoniceras.
S
- saddle. Element of suture directed forward.
- scaphiticone. N and adj. Shell with normally coiled inner whorls, succeeded by a straight section and then a hooked body chamber, as in genus Scaphites. Syn scaphitoid.
- secant. Said of a suture line when it crosses locally the lobes of succeeding suture or the saddles of preceding suture.
- secondary. – rib: branching form a bigger or longer rib called the main or principal one. 2. Parts beyond the branching point (venter side) if the two branches are alike. 3. Short rib (intercalary) as opposed to a longer one.
- section. Whorl –: surface resulting from a transversal cut of a whorl. Syn cross-section.
- septate. 1. Divided into septa: – whorl, – carina. 2. Fully – ammonite: the spiral ends on a septum and the living chamber is missing.
- septum. Internal partition between two successive camerae of a whorl. Its contact with the external wall of the shell form the suture line. Pl septa.
- septicarenate. With a hollow carina divided in little compartements by septa: – venter –. Syn floored.
- serpenticone. N and adj. Very evolute ammoniticone ammonite, with whorls hardly overlapping, like a coiled snake or rope, as in Skirroceras.
- serrated. Having or denoting a jagged edge; sawlike: – carina. Syn toothed, notched.
- shaft. In heteromorph ammonites like Hamites, more or less straight part of the shell, between the initial spiral and the cross.
- shell. Hard parts of ammonites, by convention without the aptychi.
- shell wall. External layer of the shell.
- shoulder. Blunt angle of whorl section: ventrolateral – between venter and one flank, umbilical – between one flank and umbilical wall. Syn edge, border, margin.
- shouldered. Showing shoulders. – flank.
- sigmoid. Said of a rib curved twice, with an inflection foint, like letter S. Syn sigmoidal) flexuous, S-shaped.
- simple. – rib: unbranched. Syn single.
- sinistral. In helically coiled heteromorph ammonites, the whorls are sinistral if they are coiled counterclockwise when moving from the apex to the aperture of the shell. Ant dextral.
- sinus. 1. Reentrant curve or notch on the peristome. 2. Forward curve of a rib on venter.
- siphon. Narrow, longitudinal tube passing through camerae and septa, from protoconch to base of body chamber. In ammonoids it is located on venter, just under the test. Syn siphuncle.
- siphonal. Concerning the siphon of an ammonite: – tube. Also used for external or ventral: – lobe = ventral lobe.
- siphonal line. Intersection between the coiling plane and the venter, just above the siphon hidden under the test. Syn ventral edge.
- smooth. Without ornamentation: – shell or flank.
- solid keel. Not hollow.
- sp. Abbreviation of species.
- sp. indet. From Latin species indeterminabilis: undetermined species. This refers, for example, to an ammonite specimen whose genus has been identified but not its species. E.g., Cleoniceras sp. indet.
- sp. nov. From Latin species nova: new species. The plural species novae is denoted by convention spp. nov.
- spaced. – ribs: with interspaces wider than ribs, Syn distant.
- spatulate. Broad, flat, thin and rounded: the – ventrolateral clavi of Hoplites rudis.
- sphaerocone. N and adj. Involute globular shell with narrow or occluded umbilicus, as in Vascoceras.
- spine. Sharp projection on surface of shell.
- stria. Minute groove on shell surface, especially on otherwise smooth shell. Pl striae.
- strigate. Shell surface finely ridged or furrowed longitudinally, as in Argonauticeras.
- subsequent. – rib or chamber: the closest one in forward direction. Syn next, succeeding.
- sulcus. Groove on shell surface, mainly employed for a longitudinal groove on venter. Pl sulci. Syn sulcation, groove, gutter, channel.
- sulcate. Bearing a sulcus: a deeply – venter.
- suspensive lobe. Visible external part of umbilical lobe of suture on exposed part of whorl.
- suture. Or suture line: line of junction of a septum with shell wall, more or less indented and visible only when the wall is removed.
- s.z. Our abbreviation for sub-zone.
T
- T. Notation for whorl thickness, sometimes written W (width) or Ww (whorl width).
- tangent. For two successive suture lines showing points of contact.
- taxon. A taxonomic group of any rank, such as a species, family, or class. Pl taxa.
- tectiform. See fastigiate.
- test. Fossil shell substance; material of the shell, as opposed to the fossil as an object.
- Tethys. Tropical ocean that separated Africa (including the Arabic Peninsula at that time) from Eurasia during the Albian. Its remainders roughly correspond to today's Mediterranean Sea.
- thickness. whorl –: maximum width of whorl section. In theory ignoring tubercles and ribs according to Wright (1996), although this is often impossible if the ribs on one flank are offset compared to the other. Symbol T. Syn whorl breadth, whorl width.
- total-range zone. Ammonite zone defined by the vertical extension of the selected index-species, from its emergence to its disparition. For intance, the Anahoplites intermedius total-range zone follows the dentatus zone and precedes the niobe zone. Some Hoplites can still be present in its lower part and some Dimorphoplites niobe can already appear in the upper part.
- transversal. See radial.
- treatise. The "Treatise": abbreviation for the famous Treatise of Invertebrate Paleontology, in particular the volume on Cretaceous ammonites (Wright, 1996).
- turriliticone. N and adj. Helically coiled with whorls in contact, as in genus Turrilites.
U
- U. Symbol for the diameter (width) of umbilicus, also written Uw or Wu.
- umbilicus. Central depression on each side of the shell, not covered by last whorl.
- umbilical. Concerning the umbilicus.
- umbilical angle. See umbilical shoulder.
- umbilical lobe. Large primary lobe of suture, centered on or near umbilical seam, belonging both to external and internal (dorsal) suture.
- umbilical suture. Spiral line where the whorls disappear under next whorl. Syn line of involution, umbilical seam.
- umbilical wall. Part of the whorl between the umbilical edge and the umbilical seam.
- uncoiled. Applied to any shell that is not ammoniticone. Syn heteromorph.
- undercut. Umbilical wall with a base that is hollowed out or folded inwards, like some shelters at the base of a cliff.
- upper. The highest or more recent: – Cretaceous. External, on ventral side, e.g., the – part of whorl section is arched. Syn superior.
- USGS. Abbreviation for the United States Geological Survey.
V
- var. From Latin varietas: variant or variety. Within a species, a variety is a population of individuals differing from other conspecific individuals by minor common characteristics, not justifying the creation of a new species. E.g., Hoplites dentatus var. densicostata is a densely ribbed variant of Hoplites dentatus.
- venter. Peripheral (external) part of shell.
- ventrolateral angle. See ventrolateral shoulder.
- virgatiform. Type of ribbing in which several straight secondaries branch off in succession from the same side of a primary rib, as in genus Virgatites. Syn virgatotome.
W
- whorl. Complete turn of shell through 360°. Syn volution.
- whorl expansion rate. Ratio H/h of the heights of the two last whorls.
- whorl height. See height.
Z
- zonation. Partition of a geological stage into successive layers, each layer being characterized by the presence of one species, the index-species. The latter is most often an ammonit. When ammonites are scarce ore absent, the index-species can be a gastropod, a brachiopod, etc.