The mature shell is not as tightly coiled as that of the juvenile. The body chamber consists of an elongate shaft and recurved hook terminating in a constricted aperture. The change in the shape of the body chamber coincides with a change in the pattern of ornamentation. Large ventrolateral tubercles occur on the shaft in species of Jeletzkytes and in some species of Hoploscaphites. Muscle attachment areas on the body chamber are indicated by thin layers of myostracum preserved on steinkerns.
All species are strongly dimorphic at maturity.
The average size of macroconchs is significantly larger than that of microconchs, but dimorphs are primarily distinguished on the basis of shape. Macroconchs tend to be more sharply differentiated morphologically between species than are microconchs. In species of Hoploscaphites and Discoscaphites, septal approximation occurs over more chambers and is more marked in macroconchs than in microconchs. Macroconchs are more abundant than microconchs in most species. Remains of upper and lower mandibles are associated with all three scaphite genera.