Styletoctopus
| Styletoctopus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Octopoda |
| Family: | Octopodidae |
| Genus: | †Styletoctopus |
| Species: | †S. annae |
| Binomial name | |
| †Styletoctopus annae Fuchs, Bracchi & Weis, 2009 | |
Styletoctopus is an extinct genus of octopus. The genus consists of the single species Styletoctopus annae, which lived approximately 95 million years ago[1] during the late Cenomanian, (early late Cretaceous). It was first discovered in 2009 by a team led by Dirk Fuchs of Freie University[2] in the Hâqel and Hjoula localities in Lebanon.[1] Very few octopus species appear in the fossil record, as octopuses consist of soft tissue that usually decomposes before it has time to fossilize.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b Fuchs, D.; Bracchi, G.; Weis, R. (2009). "New octopods (Cephalopoda: Coleoidea) from the Late Cretaceous (Upper Cenomanian) of Hâkel and Hâdjoula, Lebanon". Palaeontology. 52 (1): 65–81. Bibcode:2009Palgy..52...65F. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2008.00828.x.
- ^ a b Rare fossil octopuses found, NBC News, March 18, 2009