Platyceramus

<i>Platyceramus</i>

Platyceramus

Extinct genus of bivalves

Platyceramus was a genus of Cretaceous bivalve molluscs belonging to the extinct inoceramid lineage. It is sometimes classified as a subgenus of Inoceramus.

Quick Facts Platyceramus Temporal range: Cretaceous, Scientific classification ...

Size

The largest and best known species is P. platinus. Individuals of this species typically reached 1 m (3 ft 3 in) or more in axial length, but some exceptional specimens 3 m (9 ft 10 in) long have been found,[1] making it the largest known bivalve. Its huge but very thin shell often provided shelter for schools of small fish, some of which became trapped and fossilised themselves. The outer shell often provided habitat for its own juveniles,[2] also for oysters such as the epizoic oyster Pseudoperna congesta,[2] and barnacles.

Shells containing pearls have also been discovered.

References

  1. [1]
    Journal of Paleontology , Jan., 2007, Vol. 81, No. 1 (Jan., 2007), pp. 64-81
  2. [2]
    Everhart, Mike (2009). "Oyster-shell coprolites; a stratigraphic marker in the smoky hill chalk (Upper Cretaceous) of Western Kansas". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science: Abstracts. 11: 12.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Platyceramus.


Stub icon

This article about a prehistoric bivalve is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Platyceramus, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.