Skeletal remains of the oldest known pseudocoracid shark <i>Pseudocorax kindlimanni</i> sp. nov. (Chondrichthyes, Lamniformes) from the Late Cretaceous of Lebanon

Autor(en): Patrick Leopold Jambura, Sebastian Stumpf, Jürgen Kriwet
Abstrakt: A new fossil mackerel shark, Pseudocorax kindlimanni sp. nov. (Lamniformes, Pseudocoracidae), is described from the Cenomanian Konservat-Lagerstätte of Haqel, Lebanon. The new species is based on the most complete fossil of this group to date, which comprises an associated tooth set of 70 teeth, six articulated vertebral centra, numerous placoid scales and pieces of unidentiﬁable mineralized cartilage. The dentition of P. kindlimanni sp. nov. is marked by a high degree of monognathic heterodonty but does not exhibit the characteristic “lamnoid tooth pattern” known from other macrophagous lamniform sharks. In addition, P. kindlimanni sp. nov. shows differences in tooth microstructure and vertebral centrum morphology compared to other lamniform sharks. These variations, however, are also known from other members of this order and do not warrant the assignment of Pseudocorax outside the lam- niform sharks. The new fossil is the oldest known pseudocoracid shark and pushes the origin of this group back into the Cenomanian, a time when lamniform sharks underwent a major diversiﬁcation. This radiation resulted not only in high species diversity, but also in the development of a diverse array of morphological traits and adaptation to different ecological niches. Pseudocorax kindlimanni sp. nov. was a small, active predator capable of fast swimming, and it occupied the lower trophic levels of the marine food web in the Late Cretaceous.
Organisation(en): Institut für Paläontologie
Journal: Cretaceous Research
Band: 125
Anzahl der Seiten: 13
ISSN: 0195-6671
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104842
Publikationsdatum: 09-2021
Peer-reviewed: Ja
ÖFOS 2012: 105118 Paläontologie
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete: Palaeontology
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 14 – Leben unter Wasser
Link zum Portal: https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/b49fe098-7ebe-4e1f-8e85-930696d86f87

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