New records of deep-sea elasmobranchs from the Central Paratethys (Upper Egerian) of Austria
- Author(s)
- Hannah Baur, Jürgen Kriwet, Iris Feichtinger
- Abstract
Elasmobranchs (sharks, rays, and skates) occupy a diverse array of ecological niches and their fossil representatives probably played the same crucial role in the trophic structure of the North Alpine Foreland Basin (NAFB) within the Central Paratethys Sea. However, the deep-marine sediments of the NAFB are rarely accessible, significantly limiting our knowledge of the fossil record of deep-water inhabitants such as dogfish sharks (Squaliformes). This study presents preliminary data on a newly identified elasmobranch assemblage from the Upper Egerian (Aquitanian, Ebelsberg Formation), recovered from a temporarily exposed outcrop along the Enns River in Lower Austria. These sediments, deposited on the northern shelf of the east-west trending NAFB, become accessible only during periods of river low-stand caused by maintenance work on a nearby hydroelectric power plant. The assemblage is dominated by teeth from small, deep-dwelling elasmobranchs such as the
kitefin shark (Dracipinna), the sleeper shark (Palaeocentroscymnus), and the enigmatic genus Nanocetorhinus. Additionally, the assemblage includes teeth from bottom-dwelling species such as Pristiophorus and Raja, which indicate habitable conditions of the sea floor. This newly recovered assemblage includes teeth from at least ten elasmobranch genera with different hunting behaviors and ecological niches, which provides new insights into the trophic structure and diversity of the fish community of the North Alpine Foreland Basin during the early Miocene.- Organisation(s)
- Department of Palaeontology
- External organisation(s)
- University of Vienna, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NHM)
- Pages
- 331-331
- No. of pages
- 1
- Publication date
- 03-2025
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 105118 Palaeontology
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 14 - Life Below Water
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/3358f4d6-9549-4a4d-b1da-d1ea7d92e05e