Comments on the identification of Ammonites planula Hehl in Zieten, 1830 (Upper Jurassic, SW Germany)

Ammonites planula Hehl in Zieten, 1830 is the type species of the Late Jurassic ammonite genus Subnebrodites Spath, 1925 and the index species of the well-established Planula Zone of the Submediterranean Province. Recently, Enay and Howarth (2017) classified this stratigraphically important ammonite species as a ʻnomen dubiumʼ and considered it to be the possible macroconch counterpart of Idoceras balderum (Oppel, 1863). These authors claimed “Subnebrodites planula Spath, 1925” instead of Ammonites planula (Hehl in Zieten, 1830) to be the type species of Subnebrodites. However, their nomenclatorial acts are based on erroneous assumptions. For future taxonomic stability we here propose a neotype for Ammonites planula (Hehl in Zieten, 1830) and a lectotype for Ammonites planula gigas Quenstedt, 1888. In addition, dimorphism within the stratigraphically much younger Idoceras balderum (Oppel) is demonstrated showing that there is no morphological resemblance and no closer relationship with Ammonites planula (Hehl in Zieten, 1830).

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Opracowanie w ramach umowy 509/P-DUN/2018 ze środków MNiSW przeznaczonych na działalność upowszechniającą naukę (2018)