Cretaceous faunas from Zululand and Natal, South Africa. The ammonite subfamily Mantelliceratinae Hyatt, 1903

Abstract

The Lower Cenomanian part of the Mzinene Formation of northern KwaZulu-Natal has yielded a diverse assemblage of representatives of the cosmopolitan ammonite subfamily Mantelliceratinae Hyatt, 1903. The following species are recognized: Mantelliceras mantelli (J. Sowerby, 1814), M. cantianum Spath, 1926a, M. picteti Hyatt, 1903, M. couloni (d'Orbigny, 1850), M. saxbii (Sharpe, 1857), M. dixoni Spath, 1926b, M. lateretuberculatum Collignon, 1964, M. nitidum (Crick, 1907), Utaturiceras vicinale (Stoliczka, 1864), Submantelliceras prenodosoides (Boule, Lemoine & Thévenin, 1907), Sharpeiceras laticlavium (Sharpe, 1855), S. falloti (Collignon, 1931), S. mocambiquense (Choffat, 1903), S. minor sp. nov., S. florencae Spath, 1925, Sharpeiceras sp. A, and Sharpeiceras sp. B. Submantelliceras Spath, 1923, variously regarded as a synonym of Mantelliceras and othergenera by previous authors, is shown to be a valid genus, and a paedomorphic dwarf. Keywords: Cretaceous, ammonite, Cenomanian, Mantelliceratinae, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.