goniatitisch

Goniatitisch, in English often rendered as goniatitic, refers to a type of ammonoid suture pattern characteristic of Paleozoic cephalopods known as goniatitids. The term is derived from the genus Goniatites, which exemplifies the group’s diagnostic sutural morphology. In Dutch paleontological usage, goniatitisch describes both the suture pattern and, by extension, the associated ammonoid shells from this lineage.

The defining feature of goniatitic sutures is their simplicity. The sutures consist of smooth, undivided lobes and saddles, with margins that are not finely frilled or serrated. The overall pattern is relatively straightforward compared with later ceratitic and ammonitic types, typically presenting a limited number of lobes per whorl and a relatively regular, rounded outline. This simplicity is reflected in the shell sculpture and overall carination found in many goniatitid ammonoids.

Goniatitids occupied marine environments from the Devonian through the Permian, with fossils found in oceans worldwide. They were generally small to medium-sized, planispirally coiled shells, and their diverse morphologies contributed to widespread presence in Paleozoic rock formations. The goniatitic suture serves as a key diagnostic feature in identifying fossils within this group and helps distinguish it from other ammonoid lineages with more complex sutures.

In paleontology, goniatitisch is primarily used to describe suture morphology and its implications for taxonomy, stratigraphy, and evolutionary history of early ammonoids. See also goniatite, ceratite, and ammonite.