Scolopodontidae Bergström, 1981

Tolmacheva, Tatiana Yu., 2006, Apparatus of the conodont Scolopodus striatus Pander, 1856 and a re-evaluation of Pander’s species of Scolopodus, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 51 (2), pp. 247-260 : 254-255

Family Scolopodontidae Bergström, 1981 Genus Scolopodus Pander, 1856

Type species: Scolopodus sublaevis Pander, 1856 .

Diagnosis.—Hyaline and partly albid, finely costate coniform conodonts with rounded cross−section and not greatly expanded base. Apparatuses consist of 3–6 morphotypes of symmetrical as well as asymmetrical elements.

Remarks.—The genus Scolopodus was originally used by Pander (1856) to include simple cones with lateral and posterior grooves or costae. He defined Scolopodus as “Slender, differently shaped teeth with the front and hind margins rounded off and the convex surfaces more or less ribbed. They are distinguished at first sight from the genera described above by their harder substance, white colour and lack of keels” ( Pander 1856: 25, original translation of Lindström 1955: 594). Lindström (1955) emended the definition of Scolopodus to include “hyaline, drepanodiform elements with rounded cross−section and symmetrical as well as asymmetrical elements. The sides of the elements may be finely costate. The base is not greatly expanded” ( Lindström 1971). Van Wamel (1974) expanded the definition of Scolopodus to include both hyaline and partly albid conodonts, based on the assumption of general similarity with North American Scolopodus −like species. Almost all available Scolopodus elements from the green sands of the Popowka River locality are hyaline. Nevertheless, the finds of partly albid elements in the clays of the Hunneberg Stage underlying the green sands permit the sensu lato generic definition of Scolopodus emended by van Wamel (1974).

The current generic concept of Scolopodus is based on S. sublaevis Pander, 1856 s.f. until it invalidity will be proved by future studies.