PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Spheroolithus europaeus

Osteichthyes - Spheroolithidae

Taxonomy

Spheroolithus europaeus was named by Sellés et al. (2014). It is considered to be a form taxon. Its type specimen is IPS-58973a–i, an egg, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Porrit-6, which is in a Maastrichtian terrestrial horizon in the Conques Formation of Spain.

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
2014	Spheroolithus europaeus Moreno-Azanza et al. p. 84
2014	Spheroolithus europaeus Sellés et al. p. 725
2016	Spheroolithus europaeus Sellés and Galobart p. 584
2025	Spheroolithus europaeus Hedge et al. p. 12

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
class	Osteichthyes
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
subclass	Eureptilia	()
—	Romeriida
—	Diapsida	()
—	Archosauromorpha	(Huene 1946)

Rank	Name	Author
—	Crocopoda
—	Archosauriformes	Gauthier 1986
—	Eucrocopoda
—	Archosauria	()
informal	Avemetatarsalia
—	Ornithodira
—	Dinosauromorpha
—	Dinosauriformes
—	Dinosauria	()
—	Ornithischia	()
—	Genasauria
—	Cerapoda
—	Ornithopoda	()
—	Clypeodonta
—	Iguanodontia	()
—	Dryomorpha
—	Styracosterna
—	Hadrosauriformes
—	Hadrosauroidea	()
family	Spheroolithidae
genus	Spheroolithus
species	europaeus

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

†Spheroolithus europaeus Sellés et al. 2014

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Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
A. G. Sellés et al. 2014	Although no unambiguous autapomorphies can be recognized, Spheroolithus europaeus is diagnosed by the following unique combination of characters: shell thickness ranging from 1.04 to 1.11 mm (mean value = 1.07; SD = 0.03; n = 200); sagenotuberculate surface dominated by fine irregular ridges; two types of pore apertures, large elliptical-shaped (300–600 μm in width) and small rounded ones (100 μm in diameter), sometimes paired; highly fused shell units; and undulating growth lines densely concentrated in the outer half of the shell.

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

hydroxyapatiteo

Entire body:

yeso

Adult length:

10 to < 100o

Adult width:

1.0 to < 10o

Adult height:

1.0 to < 10o

Architecture:

compact or denseo

Ontogeny:

accretion, modification of partso

Grouping:

gregariouso

Environment:

terrestrialo

Locomotion:

actively mobileo

Life habit:

ground dwellingo

Diet:

herbivoresubo

Reproduction:

oviparouso

Dispersal:

direct/internalo

Dispersal 2:

mobileo

Created:

2009-01-03 20:40:05

Modified:

2009-01-03 22:40:05

Source: subo = suborder, o = order

References: Kiessling 2004, Marsh 1875, Benton 1983

Age range: base of the Early/Lower Cenomanian to the top of the Late/Upper Maastrichtian or 100.50000 to 66.00000 Ma

Collections (3 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Early/Lower Cenomanian	100.5 - 93.9	USA (Utah)	Spheroolithus europaeus (14399)
Early/Lower Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	Spain (Cataluña)	Spheroolithus europaeus (type locality: 117933)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian	72.2 - 66.0	Spain (Aragón)	Spheroolithus europaeus (45437)