Pohlsepia mazonensis is a species of fossil organism with unknown affinity. Although it was originally identified as an extinct cephalopod,[1] later studies denied that interpretation.[2][3] The species is known from a single exceptionally preserved fossil discovered in the late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) Francis Creek Shale (Mazon Creek fossil beds) of the Carbondale Formation, north-east Illinois, United States.[1]
Pohlsepia mazonensis is named after its discoverer, James Pohl, and the type locality, Mazon Creek. Its habitat was the shallows seawards of a major river delta in what at that time was an inland ocean between the Midwest and the Appalachians. In its initial description, it was considered to be the oldest known octopus,[1] but later studies have considered this classification dubious.[2] In 2022, it was even shown that it may not be a mollusk.[3]
The type specimen is reposited at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois.[1]
^ abcdKluessendorf, Joanne; Doyle, Peter (2000). "Pohlsepia mazonensis, An Early 'Octopus' From The Carboniferous Of Illinois, USA". Palaeontology. 43 (5): 919–926. Bibcode:2000Palgy..43..919K. doi:10.1111/1475-4983.00155.
^ abKlug, Christian; Landman, Neil H.; Fuchs, Dirk; Mapes, Royal H.; Pohle, Alexander; Guériau, Pierre; Reguer, Solenn; Hoffmann, René (2019-07-31). "Anatomy and evolution of the first Coleoidea in the Carboniferous". Communications Biology. 2 (1): 280. doi:10.1038/s42003-019-0523-2. ISSN 2399-3642. PMC 6668408. PMID 31372519.
^ abWhalen, Christopher D.; Landman, Neil H. (2022-03-08). "Fossil coleoid cephalopod from the Mississippian Bear Gulch Lagerstätte sheds light on early vampyropod evolution". Nature Communications. 13 (1): 1107. Bibcode:2022NatCo..13.1107W. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-28333-5. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 8904582. PMID 35260548.
Pohlsepia mazonensis is a species of fossil organism with unknown affinity. Although it was originally identified as an extinct cephalopod, later studies...
Hypseloconus. The septa in this genus are either closely or irregularly spaced. Pohlsepia, known from Mazon Creek has originally been interpreted as a cirrate octopus...
the eyespots of the putative cephalopod Pohlsepia (however, no evidence of melanosomes were found in Pohlsepia, and some studies deny its affinity as cephalopod)...
tentacles. It is considered one of the two extant groups of the Neocoleoidea. Pohlsepia, originally described as earliest octopod is considered as dubious for...
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