One often asks me "for Hoplites... yes but which?". The nodules of the bench "B" of clays of the average gault (bench visible with the base of the coal face of the career of Courcelles at the time of its exploitation) contains many ammonites of the family "hoplites". But when one spreads out a great number of specimens over a table, one realize that there is a great variation in the forms. It then becomes very difficult to put a name on the kind... I thus does not claim in these pages to undoubtedly name such or such kind, but I will bring closer some my specimens of certain numbers of documentations so that each one among you then to familiarize itself with these forms and that we can confront our knowledge.

HOPLITES BENETTIANUS

Here opposite a splendid "typified enough" specimen so that we can bring it closer certain documentations.

Characteristics: Practically complete specimen, entirely covered with sound ' test'. A number of tubers: 12, located halfway between the umbilical edge and the ventral zone; top of the tubers slightly projected behind compared to the direction of rolling up.

Bibliographical references :

1) Ammonoidea of the gault ( Spath - 1923) Volume Part.III

2) L'ALBIEN DE L'AUBE Vol.5 . Editions du C.N.R.S. 1979

3 LES FOSSILES DE L'ALBIEN DE L'AUBE par l'Association Géologique Auboise. 1982

Opposite: the photograph extracted the GAULT Of the Vol.5 PADDLE. Editions of the C.N.R.S. 1979. Board 4-25, page 188

A work which can be consulted with the public library of Troyes. It is a very good work on the Gault of the Aube ( France ).

Opposite: the photograph extracted from Ammonoidea of the gault (Spar - 1923) Part.III Volume

Board X.

Foot-note: if somebody knows where one can still consult the Spar works to date, thanks for letting me know it.