Cephalopods Present and Past brings together an international group of scientists focusing on present-day and fossil cephalopods, ranging broadly from Paleozoic ammonoids to today's octopods. It has three general sections dealing with: systematics and evolution; descriptions of hard- and soft part morphology; and ecology, biogeography, and taphonomy. Several highlights include new evidence for the existence of an ink sac in fossil ammonoids, a biogeographic study of clymeniid ammonoids throughout the world, the first record of a radula in baculite ammonoids, and an in-depth study of octopus ecology in Alaska. Cephalopods Present and Past is remarkable in its treatment of both fossil and living forms at the same time, with the aim of presenting the wide diversity of cephalopods now and in the past.
Expanded papers of presentations held at the Sixth International Symposium "Cephalopods – Present and Past", held at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, September 2004.
Part I: Phylogeny and Systematics
1. Phylogenetic Practices among Scholars of Fossil Cephalopods, with Special Reference to Cladistics Pascal Neige, Isabelle Rouget, and Sebastien Moyne
2. Patterns of Embryonic Development in Early to Middle Devonian Ammonoids Susan M. Klofak, Neil H. Landman, and Royal H. Mapes
3. Mode of Life of the Frasnian (Late Devonian) Ammonoid Manticoceras from Coumiac (Montagne Noire, France) Dieter Korn and Christian Klug
4. GONIAT - The Current State of the Paleontological Database System on Paleozoic Ammonoids Jurgen Kullmann
5. Ornamental polymorphism in Placenticeras kaffrarium (Ammonoidea; Upper Cretaceous of India): Evolutionary implications Tapas K. Gangopadhyay and Subhendu Bardhan
6. A Late Carboniferous Coleoid Cephalopod from the Mazon Creek Lagerstatte (USA), with a Radula, Arm Hooks, Mantle Tissues, and Ink Larisa A. Doguzhaeva, Royal H. Mapes, and Harry Mutvei
7. On the Species Status of Spirula spirula (Linne, 1758) (Cephalopoda): A New Approach Based on Divergence of Amino Acid Sequences between the Canaries and New Caledonia Kerstin Warnke
Part II: Morphology of Soft and Hard Tissues
8. Understanding Ammonoid Sutures: New Insight into the Dynamic Evolution of Paleozoic Suture Morphology Emily G. Allen
9. Cameral Membranes in Carboniferous and Permian Goniatites: Description and Relationship to Pseudosutures Kristin Polizzotto, Neil H. Landman, and Royal H. Mapes
10. Soft-Tissue Attachment of Middle Triassic Ceratitida from Germany Christian Klug, Michael Montenari, Hartmut Schulz, and Max Urlichs
11. The Preservation of Body Tissues, Shell, and Mandibles in the Ceratitid Ammonoid Austrotrachyceras (Late Triassic), Austria Larisa A. Doguzhaeva, Royal H. Mapes, Herbert Summesberger, and Harry Mutvei
12. Connecting Ring Ultrastructure in the Jurassic Ammonoid Quenstedtoceras with Discussion on Mode of Life of Ammonoids Harry Mutvei and Elena Dunca
13. Jaws and Radula of Baculites from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) of North America Neil H. Landman, Neal L. Larson, and William A. Cobban
14. Ultrastructure Analyses on the Conotheca of the Genus Belemnotheutis (Belemnitida: Coleoidea) Dirk Fuchs, Helmut Keupp, Vasilij Mitta, and Theo Engeser
Part III: Biogeography, Biostratigraphy, Ecology, and Taphonomy
15. New Data on the Clymeniid Faunas of the Urals and Kazakhstan Svetlana Nikolaeva
16. Deformities in the Late Callovian (Late Middle Jurassic) Ammonite Fauna from Saratov, Russia Neal L. Larson
17. Biogeography of Kutch Ammonites During the Latest Jurassic (Tithonian) and a Global Paleobiogeographic Overview Subhendu Bardhan, Sabyasachi Shome, and Pinaki Roy
18. Ammonite Touch Marks in Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Santonian) Deposits of the Western Interior Seaway Neil H. Landman and William A. Cobban
19. Some Data on the Distribution and Biology of the Boreal Clubhook Squid Moroteuthis robusta (Verrill, 1876) (Onychoteuthidae, Teuthida) in the Northwest Pacific Alexei M. Orlov
20. Habitat Ecology of Enteroctopus dofleini from Middens and Live Prey Surveys in Prince William Sound, Alaska D. Scheel, A. Lauster, and T. L. S. Vincent
Neil H. Landman: Curator-in-Charge, Invertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History; PhD, Yale University, 1982; Researcher in ammonoid paleobiology, systematics, and biostratigraphy.
Richard Arnold Davis: Professor of Biology and Geology, College of Mount St. Joseph; PhD, The University of Iowa, 1968; Researcher in the biology and taphonomy of fossil and present day cephalopods.
Royal H. Mapes: Professor Emeritus, Ohio University; PhD, The University of Iowa, 1977; Researcher in cephalopod systematics, phylogeny, taphonomy, and paleobiology
"Cephalopods Present and Past is a well-edited volume whose content is based on a 2004 conference. [...] The chapters, written by an international group of scientists, essentially constitute review papers in a specialized subset of paleontology. As such, these chapters will be required reading for specialists. [...] This book will be important for libraries that maintain a research collection in invertebrate paleontology or invertebrate zoology. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through professionals."
- P. K. Strother, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (11), August, 2008