Original paper

The shark and ray teeth of the Lower Miocene (Upper Marine Molasse) from Äpfingen, Baden-Württemberg, Southern Germany

Höltke, Olaf; Maxwell, Erin E.; Pollerspöck, Jürgen; Rasser, Michael W.

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Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen Band 305 Heft 3 (2022), p. 323 - 342

69 references

published: Sep 30, 2022
manuscript accepted: Sep 12, 2022
manuscript received: Jul 18, 2022

DOI: 10.1127/njgpa/2022/1092

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ArtNo. ESP155030503005, Price: 29.00 €

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Abstract

The deposit is located in the Baltringen Formation (Middle Ottnangian, lower Miocene). In total, 27 genera could be identified (sharks: Alopias, Araloselachus, Carcharhinus, Carcharias, Carcharoides, Carcharodon, Centrophorus, Chaenogaleus, Galeocerdo, Hemipristis, Isistius, Mitsukurina, Nanocetorhinus, Notorynchus, Pachyscyllium, Pristiophorus, Pseudocarcharias, Rhizoprionodon, Scyliorhinus, Sphyrna, Squalus, Squatina; rays: Dasyatis, Raja, Rhinoptera, Rhynchobatos, Taeniurops). However, only taxa which were not already discussed in the previous publications are illustrated and described in this paper (14 taxa). Apart from Araloselachus, Carcharoides, Pachyscyllium and Nanocetorhinus, all have Recent relatives. The majority of the sharks and rays lived in the neritic realm, or this was part of their habitat. Only three genera (Isistius, Mitsukurina, Pseudocarcharias) have an oceanic lifestyle. For Nanocetorhinus, the habitat requirements are unknown. Galeocerdo and Notorynchus are omnivorous feeders, and Carcharodon feeds on fishes and also on marine mammals. All the others are/were invertebrate and/or fish feeders. With Nanocetorhinus sp., a rare taxon in the Molasse is verified as present. Large teeth over c. 2.5 cm in height are missing from the collection, but a comparatively large amount of (incomplete) squaliform teeth were found. The overall composition of the shark and ray fauna, together with the other fossils (bony fish and invertebrates) indicate a warm-temperate habitat in the neritic realm.

Keywords

Elasmobranchia • Baltringen Formation • Ottnangian • Paratethys • biodiversity • Upper Marine Molasse