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Megaselachus

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Megaselachus
Temporal range: Miocene
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Subdivision: Selachimorpha
Order: Lamniformes
Family: Otodontidae
Genus: Megaselachus
Species:
M. subauriculatus
Binomial name
Megaselachus subauriculatus
Glyckman 1964

Megaselachus is an extinct genus of otodontid shark. In the past, this particular genus has been used to house other otodontids, such as the famous megalodon. It is sometimes considered a subgenus of Otodus, or merged with other related genera such as Carcharocles.[1] The genus lived during the Miocene. Only a single species can be confidentially placed in the genus, M. subauriculatus.

Description

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Megaselachus teeth are moderately narrow. They also have a heavily serrated crown. The labial side is convex with a prominent triangular neck, while the lingual side is concave.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Shimada, Kenshu; Chandler, Richard E.; Lam, Otto Lok Tao; Tanaka, Takeshi; Ward, David J. (2017-07-04). "A new elusive otodontid shark (Lamniformes: Otodontidae) from the lower Miocene, and comments on the taxonomy of otodontid genera, including the 'megatoothed' clade". Historical Biology. 29 (5): 704–714. doi:10.1080/08912963.2016.1236795. ISSN 0891-2963.
  2. ^ Laurito, Cesar A.; Calvo, Cristian; Valerio, Ana L.; Calvo, Alejandro; Chacón, Rafael (2014-06-27). "Ictiofauna del Mioceno Inferior de la localidad de Pacuare de Tres Equis, Formación Río Banano, provincia de Cartago, Costa Rica, y descripción de un nuevo género y una nueva especie de Scaridae". Revista geológica de América central (in Spanish). 50: 153–192. doi:10.15517/rgac.v0i50.15121. ISSN 2215-261X.