Latiwitchellia (Grammoceratinae?, Ammonitina, Middle Jurassic); an eastern Pacific ammonite in the Betic Cordillera (Southern Spain)

Ammonites belonging to the genus Latiwitchellia Imlay are described and figured for the first time outside the palaeogeographic domain of the Eastern Pacific. The Subbetic ammonites that are classified here as Latiwitchellia evoluta Imlay fit quite well with the North American forms (from Snowshoe Formation, Oregon) despite being slightly less evolute and having more regular ribbing. The range of stratigraphic distribution is similar, although the oldest Subbetic forms (lower part of the Discites Zone) are somewhat earlier than the North American ones (uppermost Discites Zone). The presence of the same species in the Betic Cordillera (westernmost Tethys) and in eastern Oregon (Eastern Pacific) confirms that during the early Bajocian the two palaeogeographic domains were connected via the Hispanic Corridor. Latiwitchellia possibly originated in the westernmost Tethys before expanding to the Eastern Pacific.