Based on well-preserved belemnites, the ontogenetic trajectories of septal spacing between succeeding chambers were analysed. In the examined species (Passaloteuthis laevigata, Parapassaloteuthis zieteni and Pseudohasitites longiformis) that come from Buttenheim, Germany, and Lixhausen, France, the ontogenetic trajectories of septal spacing follow exponentially increasing trends with no decreasing phase of septal crowding during the earliest ontogenetic stage. The absence of a decreasing trend at the earliest ontogenetic stage is a unique character in contrast with those in modern cuttlefish and ancient and modern nautiloids, in which the decreasing trends are related to hatching events. These ontogenetic septal spacing trends suggest that the belemnite hatchlings had only a protoconch with no chamber. These belemnite hatchlings with no chamber and therefore small embryonic shell diameter are similar to those of ammonoids. Significant difference in a statistical test that compared the protoconch size between the two localities, might suggest that there was limited transportation at the embryonic stage, although it could also just indicate differences in regional environmental conditions, age and/or degree of time averaging which might differ between the examined taxa.

The ontogenetic trajectories of septal spacing between succeeding chambers of two phylloceratid ammonoids, Hypophylloceras subramosum and Phyllopachyceras ezoense, from the Haboro and Kotanbetsu areas, north‐western Hokkaido, Japan, were analysed. The ontogenetic trajectories of septal spacing of H. subramosum demonstrate a general trend with large intraspecific variation: two cycles of increasing to decreasing spacing followed by almost constant spacing. The large intraspecific variation can be subdivided into three types, making this species polymorphic. The ontogenetic trajectories of septal spacing of P. ezoense also show intraspecific variation, but with a different trend: one cycle of increasing to decreasing spacing and an increasing trend after that. The intraspecific variation can be subdivided into two types, which suggests that this species is dimorphic, possibly sexually dimorphic. Dimorphism is supported by two observations: (1) the difference in the ontogenetic trajectories of septal spacing is only seen in the later ontogenetic stages; and (2) the two types co‐occur with comparable abundance throughout all stratigraphic horizons. Detailed analyses of ontogenetic trajectories of septal spacing may reveal polymorphism in other ammonoid clades.

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