Traskites

Systematic Paleontology

Order: Ceratitida

Superfamily: Clydonitaceae

Family: Clionitidae Genus: Traskites

Traskites is an upper Triassic ammonite first known from California, included in the ceratitid family Clionitidae. The shell is evolute, generally with a quadrate whorl section and sides bearing tuberculate ribs which extend on the venter to the median groove. Sutures are commonly ceratitic.

Traskites includes some four subgenera as follows:

T. (Traskites); robust, ribs coarse, suture with two lateral lobes.

T. (Shastites); more compressed, tending toward being involute. Ribs and tubercles finer, more dense.

T. (Stantonites); more evolute, compressed, with coarse tuberculate ribs and prominent rows of tubercles on the ventrolateral edge. Groove aligned by tubercles.

T. (Neanites); evolute, subquadrate, with sigmoidal tuberculate ribs continuous to a shallow median groove. Ventrolateral tubercles most prominent.

In some classifications Traskites is included in the Sandlingitidae but is also given as a subgenus of Clionites, thereby retaining it in the Clionititidae.