Sclerorhynchus atavus

Woodward, 1889


Classification: Elasmobranchii Rajiformes Sclerorhynchidae

Reference of the original description
Woodward, A.S. (1889)
Catalogue of the fossil fishes in the British Museum. Part. I. British Museum (Natural History): 474 p., fig., 17 pl.

Image of the original description

Sclerorhynchus atavus gen. & sp. nov.; portion of snout, U. Senonian; Sahel Alma, Mt. Lebanon [NHMUK PV P 4776]

Synonyms / new combinations and misspellings
Ganopristis libanica, Pristiophorus atavus, Pristiophorus (Sclerorhynchus) atavus, Sclerorhynchus crassidens, Sclerorhynchus libanicus, Squatina crassidens

Types
Sclerorhynchus atavus
Holotype: NHMUK: PV P 4776;
Squatina crassidens
Holotype: NHMUK: PV P 4017;

Images of types

Description:


Citation: Sclerorhynchus atavus Woodward, 1889: In: Database of fossil elasmobranch teeth www.shark-references.com, World Wide Web electronic publication, Version 10/2024

Please send your images of "Sclerorhynchus atavus" to info@shark-references.com

Sclerorhynchus atavus Woodward, 1889; portion of snout, Senonian; Sahel Alma, Mt. Lebanon [NHMUK PV P 4776], holotype © Charlie Underwood, Natural History Museum, London

Description
Original description of Woodward, 1889 [2593]:
Type. Imperfect rostrum, shown in Pl. III. fig. 1. Each rostral tooth comprises e. high round base, crimped, and having. somewhat stellate appearance when viewed from beneath; upon this is fixed e. backwardly-directed enamelled "crown," compressed to an anterior and posterior sharp edge. These teeth are arranged in single series upon each lateral margin of the snout, increasing considerably in size towards the anterior extremity; miniature tubercles, of the same kind, are also placed upon the upper surface of the base of the snout. Form. 4- Loc. Upper Cretaceous (Turonian): Sahel Alma, Mount Lebanon, Syria.
P. 4776. Type specimen. The snout is broken away from the head at the level of the nasal capsules, and only one of these is imperfectly displayed. The outline of the skin is indicated by the marginal series of pointed dermal tubercles, which become considerably enlarged anteriorly, and merit the name of ''rostral teeth "; the rostral region is thus seen to taper gradually, forming a long flattened blade. The endoskeletal cartilages are much crushed and broken, and at some distance from the base of the snout, where the tapering decreases, they evidently occupy its entire width, from margin to margin. In addition to the ordinary median prolongation of the cranium itself, there is apparently a laterally-placed pair of large cartilage, corresponding to those of the existing Pristis, though it is not possible to determine whether they agree with the latter in structure.

Remarks
shark-references Species-ID=6232;
type species of Sclerorhynchus Woodward 1889 [2593] by original designation (Art. 68.2 ICZN);

synonym of Pristiophorus (Sclerorhynchus) atavus after Jaekel (1890) p. 117 [1207];

valid after Woodward (1889) p. 76 [2593]; Woodward (1889) p. 449 [4490]; Woodward (1892) p. 534 [2597]; Cappetta (1980) p. 167 [327]; Underwood et al. (2016) [23106];


References
Guinot, G. & Condamine, F.L. (2023)
Global impact and selectivity of the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction among sharks, skates, and rays. Science, 379, 802–806
DOI: 10.1126/science.abn2080
Villalobos-Segura, E. & Underwood, C.J. (2020)
Radiation and divergence times of Batoidea. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 40(3), Article e1777147
DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2020.1777147
Underwood, C.J. & Smith, M.M. & Johanson, Z. (2016)
Sclerorhynchus atavus and the convergent evolution of rostrum-bearing chondrichthyans. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430, 129–136
DOI: 10.1144/SP430.7
Welten, M. & Smith, M. & Underwood, C.J. & Johanson, Z. (2015)
Evolutionary origins and development of saw-teeth on the sawfish and sawshark rostrum (Elasmobranchii; Chondrichthyes). Royal Society Open Science, 2, Article 150189
DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150189
Kriwet, J. (2004)
The systematic position of the Cretaceous sclerorhynchid sawfishes (Elasmobranchii, Pristiorajea). In G. Arratia & A. Tintori (Eds.), Mesozoic Fishes 3 – Systematics, Paleoenvironments and Biodiversity (pp. 57–73). Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil
Frickhinger, K.A. (1991)
Fossilienatlas Fische. Verlag für Natur- und Heimatkunde Hans A. Baensch, Melle
Cappetta, H. (1980)
Les Sélaciens du Crétacé supérieur du Liban. II. Batoïdes. Palaeontographica, Abt. A, 168(5–6), 149–229
Slaughter, B.H. & Steiner, M.S. (1968)
Notes on rostral teeth of Ganopristine sawfishes, with special reference to Texas material. Journal of Paleontology, 42(1), 233–239
Slaughter, B.H. & Springer, S. (1968)
Replacement of Rostral Teeth in Sawfishes and Sawsharks. Copeia, 1968(3), 499–506
Arambourg, C. (1940)
Le groupe des Ganopristinés. Bulletin de la Société géologique de France, 10(5), 127–147
Arambourg, C. (1940)
Le groupe des Ganopristinés. Bulletin de la Société géologique de France, 10(5), 127–147
Woodward, A.S. (1892)
Description of the Cretaceous saw-fish Sclerorhynchus atavus. Geological Magazine, decade 3, 9, 529–534
Jaekel, O. (1891)
Ueber die Gattung Pristiophorus. Archiv für Naturgeschichte, 57(1), 15–48
Jaekel, O. (1890)
Über die systematische Stellung und über fossile Reste der Gattung Pristiophorus. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft, 42, 86–120
Woodward, A.S. (1889)
Catalogue of the fossil fishes in the British Museum. Part. I. British Museum (Natural History): 474 p., fig., 17 pl.
Woodward, A.S. (1889)
Sclerorhynchus atavus. Remarks. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1889, 449–451
Woodward, A.S. (1889)
Catalogue of the fossil fishes in the British Museum. Part. I. British Museum (Natural History): 474 p., fig., 17 pl.