| Vampyronassa Temporal range:Middle Jurassic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pyritized fossil ofVampyronassa rhodanica from Voulte-sur-Rhône, France. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Cephalopoda |
| Order: | Vampyromorphida |
| Family: | Vampyroteuthidae |
| Genus: | †Vampyronassa Fischer &Riou, 2002 |
| Species: | †V. rhodanica |
| Binomial name | |
| †Vampyronassa rhodanica | |
Vampyronassa rhodanica ("vampire fish trap") is anextinctvampyromorphcephalopod known from around 20 fossils from theLower Callovian (165–164Ma) ofLa Voulte-sur-Rhône,Ardèche,France.[1]
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Vampyronassa reached total length about 10 cm (3.9 in).[2] This taxon differs from the modernvampire squid in having longer first dorsal arms, a largerhyponome, and a more elongatedmantle. The original description noted possibleluminous organs[1] which a restudy could not confirm.[2] It had eight arms with uniserialsuckers flanked by cirri, same as modern vampire squid. Retractile filaments that is known from modern vampire squid is not known inVampyronassa.[2] Like vampire squid,Vampyronassa lacked anink sac.[2]
Vampyronassa shares some characters with modern vampire squidVampyroteuthis, such as lack of ink sac and unique type of sucker attachment.[2] Analysis supports the sister relationship betweenVampyronassa andVampyroteuthis.[2]
Although modern vampire squid are deep-sea opportunisticdetritivore andzooplanktivore,Vampyronassa is estimated to have been an activepredator following apelagic mode of life according to characteristics of its arms.[2] ConsideringOligocene vampyromorphNecroteuthis probably had a deep-sea mode of life,[3] initial shift of vampiromorphs to offshore environments was possibly driven by onshore competition.[2]