A new record of coleoid arm hooks from the lowermost Jurassic of Lilstock, Somerset

We report on a new assemblage of coleoid arm hooks found in the Blue Lias (Lower Jurassic) succession near Lilstock (Somerset, UK). As there are no soft tissues or other materials (ink sac, phragmocone, etc.) preserved in the vicinity of the hooks, the genus and species cannot be accurately identified. Unlike the hooks of Clarkeiteuthis, which have distinctive inflated, bilobate bases, the hooks discussed herein are delicate, with a gently curved apex, which makes them quite similar to the arm hooks of Belemnotheutis or Acanthoteuthis. The assemblage of hooks shows a distinct organisation and, in some places, the hooks are clearly aligned as they would have been in life position. Comparable material of late Jurassic age from the Etches Collection (Kimmeridge, Dorset) is compared to the new arm hook assemblage.