genus of extinct pelecypods (clams) found as fossils in Jurassic to Cretaceous rocks (laid down between 208 and 66.4 million years ago). Especially important and widespread in Cretaceous rocks, Inoceramus had a distinctive shell; it is large, thick, and wrinkled in a concentric fashion, making identification relatively simple. The many pits at the dorsal region were the anchoring points for the ligaments that closed the shell.