Description. Type Hoplites michalskii Semenov, 1899. Compressed forms, with a tabulate then round whorl section. The ornamentation, often less pronounced on the body chamber, consists of falcate ribs arising from prominent umbilical bullae. These flatten and widen at the top of the flanks, with a steeper posterior slope than anterior, ending on the ventrolateral shoulder in clavi parallel to the siphon, sometimes oblique. The more or less pronounced ribbing forms bundles of ribs and/or striae on the test (Glazunova, 1960; Saveliev, 1992; Cecca, 1997). Compared to Anahoplites, from which the genus derives, Semenoviceras has stronger umbilical tubercles and ventrolateral clavi, falcate ribs instead of sigmoid ribs, and, most importantly, a less incised suture line composed of broad and shallow elements. Middle Albian (biplicatus zone) and first half of Upper Albian (cristatum, pricei, and inflatum zones). Central Asia, Iran, rare in France and England.
Subgenera and species. The subgenus Planihoplites Saveliev, 1992, often has a ventral lobe offset laterally from the siphon, as in late Anahoplites. It is compressed and involute, with flat or rounded flanks, smooth up to about 15–20 mm. The narrow, flat venter is rounded only near the aperture. The ribs are not strong, the umbilical bullae never spiny, and the ventrolateral clavi are small and numerous. The latter are parallel or oblique to the siphon, but never at right angle as in some Metaclavites. The ribs are falcate and attenuated on the inner half of the flanks. Examples: S. (P.) uhligi (Semenov, 1899), S. (P.) pseudocoelonodum (Semenov, 1899, upper photo of Cecca, 1997), S. (P.) tenue (Saveliev, 1960) and S. (P.) mangyshlakense (Saveliev, 1960). The subgenus Semenoviceras sensu stricto is more ornamented, with strong spiny umbilical bullae and sharp ventrolateral clavi, such as S. (S.) michalskii (Semenov, 1899), S. (S.) solidum (Saveliev, 1960, lower photo from Mosavinia et al., 2014), S. (S.) gracile (Spath, 1926), and S. (S.) tamalakense (Saveliev, 1992).
Remarks. The genus was created by Glazunova (1960) under the name Semenovites, to group together species long attributed to Anahoplites and Metaclavites. It was renamed Semenoviceras by Wright (1996) because Semenovites Tarbinskii, 1932, designates a genus of orthopteran insects. Wright (1996) places the genus in the subfamily Hoplitinae. As it clearly derives from Anahoplites, we follow Cecca (1997), who transfers it to the Anahoplitinae. In the literature, the differences between certain species are not very convincing: as with the Hoplites, it is likely that the genus contains a small number of highly variable species. In a recent article, Kennedy & Walaszczik (2025) assign most of the species in both subgenera to Semenoviceras michalskii, but this revision seems too radical to us.