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In the geological timescale the Tithonian is the latest age of the Late Jurassic epoch or the uppermost stage of the Upper Jurassic series. It spans the time between 152.1 ± 4 Ma and 145.0 ± 4 Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Kimmeridgian and followed by the Berriasian stage (part of the Cretaceous).^[2]

Stratigraphic definitions

The Tithonian was introduced in scientific literature by German stratigrapher Albert Oppel in 1865. The name Tithonian is unusual in geological stage names because it is derived from Greek mythology. Tithonus was the son of Laomedon of Troy. He fell in love with Eos, the Greek goddess of dawn and finds his place in the stratigraphy because this stage, the Tithonian, finds itself hand in hand with the dawn of the Cretaceous.

The base of the Tithonian stage is at the base of the ammonite biozone of Hybonoticeras hybonotum. A global reference profile (a GSSP or golden spike) for the base of the Tithonian had in 2009 not yet been established.

The top of the Tithonian stage (the base of the Berriasian stage and the Cretaceous system) is marked by the first appearance of small globular calpionellids of the species Calpionella alpina, at the base of the Alpina Subzone .

Subdivision

The Tithonian is often subdivided into Lower/Early, Middle and Upper/Late substages or subages. The Late Tithonian is coeval with the Portlandian stage of British stratigraphy.

The Tithonian stage contains seven ammonite biozones in the Tethys domain, from top to base:

• zone of Durangites
  


• zone of Micracanthoceras micranthum
  


• zone of Micracanthoceras ponti or Burckardticeras peroni
  


• zone of Semiformiceras fallauxi
  


• zone of Semiformiceras semiforme
  


• zone of Semiformiceras darwini
  


• zone of Hybonoticeras hybonotum
  

Lithofacies

In the ocean of Tethys, the Tithonian has a calcareous facies with a typical cephalopod fauna. The Solnhofen limestone of southern Germany, which is known for its fossils (especially Archaeopteryx), is of Tithonian age.

Palaeontology

†Ankylosaurs

Ankylosauria of the Tithonian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Gargoyleosaurus		Morrison Formation, Wyoming, USA	The smallest and the earliest well-known ankylosaur. Its skull measures only 29 cm in length, and its total body length is an estimated three to four meters.	Gargoyleosaurus skeleton
Mymoorapelta Mymoorapelta maysi		Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA	A poorly known early ankylosaurian.

Theropods

Theropods of the Tithonian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Allosaurus		Morrison Formation, USA	The most common and most highly studied theropod dinosaur.	Allosaurus It is believed that the Port Waikato creature was similar to Compsognathus longipes, shown here.
Archaeopteryx		Solnhofen, Germany	The late Jurassic is notable for the first appearance in the fossil record of birds, in the form of Archaeopteryx, found in limestone quarries in Germany.
Ceratosaurus		Morrison Formation, USA	Fossils are less common than those of Allosaurus.
Compsognathus		Solnhofen, Germany	Found near Archaeopteryx fossils.
Compsognathus-like creature		Port Waikato, New Zealand	Only known Tithonian dinosaur in New Zealand.
Juratyrant		Kimmeridge Clay Formation	known from a single specimen consisting of an associated partial skeleton represented by a complete pelvis as well as a partially complete leg, and neck, back, and tail vertebrae.
Stokesosaurus		Morrison Formation, Utah
Tanycolagreus		Morrison Formation, Wyoming
Torvosaurus		Morrison Formation, Colorado and Wyoming and Lourinhã Formation, Portugal

†Basal Ornithischians

Basal ornithischians of the Tithonian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Fruitadens		Fruita, Colorado, USA	Fruitadens was a heterodontosaurid and the smallest known ornithischian dinosaur, weighing less than 2 pounds (0.91 kg) and measuring a little over 2 feet (0.61 m) in length. It is also one of the latest surviving heterodontosaurids known.	Fruitadens

†Ceratopsians

Ceratopsia of the Tithonian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Chaoyangsaurus		Chaoyang area, Liaoning, China	One of the earliest ceratopsians	Chaoyangsaurus
Xuanhuaceratops		Hebei, China	A member of the family Chaoyangsauridae, it was one of the earliest ceratopsians

†Ornithopods

Ornithopoda of the Tithonian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Camptosaurus	Kimmeridgian to Tithonian	Wyoming, USA	Camptosaurus could be more than 7.9 meters (26 feet) long, and 2.0 meters (6.6 feet) tall at the hips. They had heavy bodies but, as well as walking on four legs (quadrupedal), could also rear up to walk on two legs (bipedal). This genus is closely related to iguanodontid and hadrosaurid dinosaurs. It probably ate cycads with its beak.	Camptosaurus Othnielosaurus
Draconyx		Lourinhã, Portugal	A camptosaurid iguanodont
Drinker
Dryosaurus
Othnielia
Othnielosaurus

†Plesiosauria

Plesiosaurs of the Tithonian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Simolestes indicus				Simolestes

†Pterosauria

Pterosaurs of the Tithonian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Anurognathus ammoni		Solnhofen, Germany	Short head with pin-like teeth, short tail but from a normally long tailed group "Rhamphorhynchoidea"	Pterodactylus antiquus, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Comodactylus ostromi		Morrison Formation, Wyoming, United States	Known only from an intact fourth metacarpal, 57.5 millimetres long
Ctenochasma		Solnhofen, Germany
Cycnorhamphus suevicus		Solnhofen, Germany
Dermodactylus montanus		Morrison Formation, Wyoming, United States
Germanodactylus		Solnhofen, Germany
Gnathosaurus subulatus		Solnhofen, Germany
Herbstosaurus pigmaeus		Neuquén, Argentina
Pterodactylus antiquus		Solnhofen, Germany
Rhamphorhynchus muensteri		Solnhofen, Germany

†Stegosaurs

Stegosaurs of the Tithonian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Stegosaurus	Kimmeridgian to Early Tithonian	Morrison Formation, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, USA	Averaging around 9 metres (30 feet) long and 4 metres (13 feet) tall, the quadrupedal Stegosaurus is one of the most easily identifiable dinosaurs, due to the distinctive double row of kite-shaped plates rising vertically along its arched back and the two pairs of long spikes extending horizontally near the end of its tail.	Stegosaurus

†Sauropods

Sauropoda of the Tithonian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Apatosaurus				Apatosaurus Diplodocus Mamenchisaurus
Brachiosaurus
Brontosaurus
Diplodocus			Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming, Morrison Formation, USA
Galeamopus
Kaatedocus
Mamenchisaurus
Supersaurus
Tornieria

†Thalattosuchians

Thalattosuchians of the Tithonian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Cricosaurus C. elegans C. gracilis C. macrospondylus C. suevicus		Germany		Dakosaurus, a marine crocodilian. Geosaurus, a marine crocodilian. Metriorhynchus, a marine crocodilian.
Dakosaurus D. maximus D. andiniensis			A large genus of metriorhynchid, that was a high order predator which fed on other marine reptiles The type species from Western Europe of the Late Jurassic (Early Tithonian). Argentina of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous (Early Tithonian), nicknamed "Godzilla".
Geosaurus G. giganteus G. grandis		Western Europe Western Europe	A relatively small metriorhynchid genus. No known species of Geosaurus attained lengths in excess of 3 meters (9.8 feet). There were multiple Geosaurus species alive during the Tithonian. The type species from Western Europe of the Late Jurassic (Early Tithonian). Western Europe of the Late Jurassic (Early Tithonian).
Machimosaurus
Purranisaurus P. potens			An opportunistic carnivore that fed on fish, belemnites and other marine animals and possible carrion.
Rhacheosaurus R. gracilis		Mörnsheim Formation, Solnhofen, Bavaria, Germany	A piscivorous rhacheosaurine

†Belemnites

Belemnites of the Tithonian
Taxa	Presence	Location	Description	Images
Produvalia				Small belemnite fossils

References

Notes

Literature

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  Gradstein, F.M.; Ogg, J.G. & Smith, A.G.; (2004): A Geologic Time Scale 2004, Cambridge University Press.


• 
  
  Oppel, C.A.; 1865: Die Tithonische Etage, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft, 1865: pp 535–558. (in German)
  

External links

• GeoWhen Database - Tithonian


• 
  Jurassic-Cretaceous timescale, at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS


• 
  Stratigraphic chart of the Upper Jurassic, at the website of Norges Network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy