Belongs within: Acanthoceratoidea.
The Vascoceratidae are an Upper Cretaceous (Upper Cenomanian to Upper Turonian) lineage of ammonites with a predominantly Tethyan distribution (Wright et al. 1996).
Characters (from Wright et al. 1996): Rapidly losing ribbing and tuberculation; smooth or retaining only sparse, blunt umbilical or ventrolateral tubercles or short, coarse ribs. Suture generally with shallow, irregular, and slightly indented elements, occasionally with longer, well-indented elements. Whorl section and degree of involution very variable, even within species.
<==Vascoceratidae [Neoptychitinae, Vascoceratinae]WCH96 |--Ezilloella Reyment 1954WCH96 | `--*E. ezilloensis Reyment 1954WCH96 |--Infabricaticeras Cobban, Hook & Kennedy 1989WCH96 | `--*I. lunaense Cobban, Hook & Kennedy 1989WCH96 |--Rubroceras Cobban, Hook & Kennedy 1989WCH96 | `--*R. alatum Cobban, Hook & Kennedy 1989WCH96 |--Microdiphasoceras Cobban, Hook & Kennedy 1989WCH96 | `--*M. novimexicanum Cobban, Hook & Kennedy 1989WCH96 |--Fagesia Pervinquière 1907 [incl. Plesiovascoceras Spath 1925]WCH96 | |--*F. superstes (Kossmat 1897) [=Olcostephanus superstes]WCH96 | `--‘Ammonites’ catinus Mantell 1822 [=*Plesiovascoceras catinum]WCH96 |--Neoptychites Kossmat 1895 (see below for synonymy)WCH96 | |--N. cephalotus (Courtiller 1860) (see below for synonymy)WCH96 | |--N. andinus (Leanza 1967) [=*Pseudoneoptychites andinus]WCH96 | |--‘Hemitissotia (*Betiokytes)’ besairiei Collignon 1965WCH96 | `--‘Ammonites’ toroanus Karsten 1858 [=*Franciscoites toroanus]WCH96 `--Vascoceras Choffat 1898 (see below for synonymy)WCH96 |--*V. gamai Choffat 1898WCH96 |--V. birchbyi Cobban & Scott 1972 [=V. (*Greenhornoceras) birchbyi]WCH96 |--V. bulbosumHK81 |--V. cauvini Chudeau 1909 [=*Paravascoceras cauvini]WCH96 |--V. chevalieri Furon 1935 [incl. V. (*Paracanthoceras) chevalieri]WCH96 |--‘*Pachyvascoceras’ crassum Furon 1935WCH96 |--V. diartianum (Orbigny 1850)P93, WCH96 [=Ammonites diartianusWCH96, *Provascoceras diartianumWCH96] |--‘*Nannovascoceras’ intermedium Renz & Alvarez 1979WCH96 |--V. mundaeHK81 |--V. nigerienseHK81 `--‘*Broggiiceras’ ohlssoni Benavides-Cáceras 1956WCH96
Neoptychites Kossmat 1895 [incl. Betiokytes Collignon 1965, Franciscoites Etayo Serna 1979, Pseudoneoptychites Leanza 1967]WCH96
Neoptychites cephalotus (Courtiller 1860) [=Ammonites cephalotus; incl. A. telinga Stoliczka 1865, *Neoptychites telinga]WCH96
Vascoceras Choffat 1898 [incl. Broggiiceras Benavides-Cáceras 1956, Greenhornoceras Cobban & Scott 1972, Nannovascoceras Renz & Alvarez 1979, Pachyvascoceras Furon 1935, Paracanthoceras Furon 1935, Paravascoceras Furon 1935, Provascoceras Cooper 1979]WCH96
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[HK81] Hancock, J. M., & W. J. Kennedy. 1981. Upper Cretaceous ammonite stratigraphy: some current problems. In: House, M. R., & J. R. Senior (eds) The Ammonoidea: The evolution, classification, mode of life and geological usefulness of a major fossil group pp. 531–553. Academic Press.
[P93] Page, K. N. 1993. Mollusca: Cephalopoda (Ammonoidea: Phylloceratina, Lytoceratina, Ammonitina and Ancyloceratina). In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 213–227. Chapman & Hall: London.
[WCH96] Wright, C. W., J. H. Calloman & M. K. Howarth. 1996. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology pt L. Mollusca 4, revised vol. 4. Cretaceous Ammonoidea. The Geological Society of America, Inc.: Boulder (Colorado), and The University of Kansas: Lawrence (Kansas).