A new Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) coleoid (Cephalopoda) from Hâdjoula, Lebanon

The fossil record of cuttlefish, squid and octopus has received relatively little attention. Among malacologists, the opinion is widespread that these mainly softbodied coleoids have a poor fossil record. However, thanks to Konservat-Lagerst tten such as the Early Jurassic Posidonian Shales of Holzmaden (Germany), the Middle Jurassic La-Voulte-sur-Rh ne (France) and the Late Jurassic Limestones of Solnhofen and Nusplingen, we have a comparatively precise idea about the palaeobiology of Jurassic Coleoidea. For interpretations concerning Cretaceous coleoids, in contrast, we have to rely on the Late Cretaceous Limestones of H qel and H djoula (Lebanon), our only evolutionary window into Cretaceous times. Both outcrops are indispensable for morphological studies and phylogenetic reconstructions. It has been recently proven that the contemporary H qel and H djoula Limestones not only compete with the Solnhofen Limestones in their state of soft-part preservation, but also in their coleoid diversity (Fuchs 2006a, 2006b, 2007; Fuchs et al. 2009). In a re-description of trachyteuthidGlyphiteuthis (1⁄4 Libanoteuthis) libanotica (Fraas, 1878), Fuchs (2006a) mentioned the possibility that two morphotypes of Glyphiteuthis existed in H qel and H djoula, but could not prove this observation until additional specimens were available for comparative and quantitative analyses. A collection of coleoids from the H qel and H djoula Limestones housed in the Mus e National D’Histoire Naturelle in Luxembourg has yielded clear evidence of morphological differences. The aim of this paper is to describe a new species ofGlyphiteuthis and to distinguish it from Glyphiteuthis libanotica.