Enchoteuthis

Enchoteuthis Temporal range: Albian–Campanian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Reconstructions of the holotype and largest specimen based on Muensterella and Dosidicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Cephalopoda
Order:	Octopoda
Suborder:	†Teudopseina
Superfamily:	†Muensterelloidea
Family:	†Muensterellidae
Subfamily:	†Enchoteuthinae Larson, 2010[2]
Genus:	†Enchoteuthis Miller & Walker, 1968[1]
Type species
†Enchoteuthis melanae Miller & Walker, 1968
Other species
†E. tonii (Wade, 1993)[3] †E. cobbani (Larson, 2010)
Synonyms[5]
Kansasteuthis lindneri Miller & Walker, 1968 Niobrarateuthis walkeri Green, 1977[4] Muensterella tonii Wade, 1993 Tusoteuthis cobbani Larson, 2010

Enchoteuthis (meaning "spear squid") is an extinct genus of large enchoteuthine cephalopod that lived during the Cretaceous. Although it and its relative Tusoteuthis are often compared to squid, both are now thought to be more closely related to modern octopuses. Examination of gladius remains initially yielded an estimated mantle length about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) based on specimen once described as Tusoteuthis longa, close to or equal to that of the modern giant squid, although reclassification of this genus as a muensterelloid results in a much shorter total length, about 3 m (10 ft). Three species are currently recognized as valid: E. melanae, E. tonii, and E. cobbani.[5]

Etymology

The generic name Enchoteuthis is derived from the Greek enchos ("spear") and teuthis ("squid").[1] The specific name melanae honors Melanie Bonner, who discovered the holotype.[1] E. cobbani is named after William Cobban.[2]

Distribution

E. melanae and E. cobbani are both known from the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of North America, with specimens found in Kansas, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Manitoba.[2][5] E. tonii is known from the Early Cretaceous Eromanga Seaway of Australia.[3][5] An additional unnamed species is known from the Late Cretaceous Paleo-Pacific Ocean of North America, specifically British Columbia and Alaska.[5][6]

See also

• Tusoteuthis
• Muensterella
• Cephalopod size

References

1. Miller, H.W.; Walker, M.V. (1968). "Enchoteuthis melanae and Kansasteuthis lindneri, new genera and species of teuthids, and a sepiid from the Niobrara Formation of Kansas". Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science. 71 (2): 176–183. doi:10.2307/3627369. JSTOR 3627369.
2. Larson, N.L. (2010). "Fossil coleoids from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian & Maastrichtian) of the Western Interior". Ferrantia. 59: 78–113.
3. Wade, M. (1993). "New Kelaenida and Vampyromorpha: Cretaceous squid from Queensland". Memoirs of the Association of Australasian Palaeontologists. 15: 353–374.
4. Green, R.G. (1977). "Niobrarateuthis walkeri, a new species of teuthid from the Upper Cretaceous Niobrara Formation of Kansas". Journal of Paleontology. 51 (5): 992–995.
5. Fuchs, D.; Iba, Y.; Heyng, A.; Iijima, M.; Klug, C.; Larson, N.L.; Schweigert, G. (2020). "The Muensterelloidea: phylogeny and character evolution of Mesozoic stem octopods". Papers in Palaeontology. 6 (1): 31–92. Bibcode:2020PPal....6...31F. doi:10.1002/spp2.1254. S2CID 198256507.
6. "YPM IP 038058". Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. n.d. Retrieved 31 March 2021.