Argonauta joanneus is an extinct species of octopus assigned to the genus Argonauta. It was described in 1915 based on fossil material from the Middle Miocene of Austria.[1][2] It was found in fine sandy clay.[1]

Argonauta joanneus
Temporal range: Middle Miocene
Type specimen (lateral and keel views)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order: Octopoda
Family: Argonautidae
Genus: Argonauta
Species:
A. joanneus
Binomial name
Argonauta joanneus
Hilber, 1915[1]

The type specimen, a fossilised eggcase, measures 84 mm in diameter at its widest point but is only 18 mm thick.[1] The mouth is 48 mm wide.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e (in German) Hilber, V. 1915. "Der älteste bekannte und erste miozäne Argonauta" (PDF). Mitteilungen des naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins für Steiermark 51: 107–110.
  2. ^ Martill, D.M. & M.J. Barker 2006. A paper nautilus (Octopoda, Argonauta) from the Miocene Pakhna Formation of Cyprus. Palaeontology 49(5): 1035-1041. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00578.x