Description: Inner whorl with rather distant bifurcate ribs. Penultimate whorl in the beginning still bifurcate ribbed, then 3-4 secondaries. On the outer whorl transition to bifur- cate ribs with one or two intercalatories. Larger specimens loose the intercalatories as the diameter increases and then only exhibit very strong single or highly branched bifurcate ribs. The branching points on the inner and penultimate whorls lie in the middle or in the upper two thirds of the flanks. Specimens belonging to this species are very com- mon in the Los Catutos and El Ministerio quarries (PI. 36/1).

Zapalia was named by Leanza et al. (1990) [Holotype: P1.36/7, Museum Olsacher, Zapala Locus typicus et stratum typicum: Los Catutos member of the Vaca Muerta Formation, level y, E1Ministerio quarry. Dimensions: D 110, H 60, U 45. IR 12, ER 38-40 at 45-50 mm D.]. It is not extant. It is the type genus of Zapaliinae.

It was assigned to Ammonoidea by Leanza et al. (1990); and to Zapaliinae by Parent et al. (2017).