<p>The area around the mesa of Gara el Itima, east-northeast of Taouz, represents the most important occurrence of the genus <i>Goniatites</i> (Ammonoida, Cephalopoda) in the Anti-Atlas region of Morocco. <i>Goniatites</i> is the main index fossil within the late Viséan (Early Carboniferous) strata of this section and allows the recognition of four successive assemblages: G. <i>tympanus</i>, <i>G. rodioni</i>, <i>G. gerberi</i> and <i>G. stenumbilicatus</i> together with <i>G. evelinae</i>. The great potential of the genus <i>Goniatites</i> for regional fine-scale stratigraphic subdivisions stands in sharp contrast to its limited value for supra-regional correlation. Apparently, not a single species of <i>Goniatites</i> is known to have a wide geographical range across multiple regions. Moreover, neither the first nor the last occurrence of the genus can be correlated across provincial boundaries. The correlation problems with the well-known genus <i>Goniatites</i> highlight a larger issue: during times of pronounced provincialism, such as the Carboniferous, ammonoids are indeed valuable for regional zonations but have limited utility for global correlation.</p>