genus of extinct cephalopods (primitive animals related to the modern pearly nautilus) found as fossils in marine rocks of the Ordovician Period (the Ordovician Period lasted from 505 to 438 million years ago). The distinctive shell of Lituites is composed of serially arranged chambers. The shell begins with a tightly coiled portion that gradually straightens out after a few whorls; the anterior portion of the shell, the largest part, is straight in form and expands toward the front. The sutures between the chambers appear as simple lines around the shell.