Biology:Leptostyrax
Leptostyrax is an extinct genus of mackerel sharks that lived during the Cretaceous. It contains two valid species, L. macrorhiza and L. stychi, found in North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia.[1] It is among the earliest known lamniforms which underwent an adaptive radiation in the Early Cretaceous.[2]
Paleobiology
Leptostyrax is only known from isolated teeth. However, vertebrae tentatively assigned to L. macrorhiza suggest lengths of 6.3–8.3 m (21–27 ft), making it potentially one of the largest Cretaceous sharks.[3]
Leptostyrax had teeth similar to the modern sand tiger shark in having a tall, narrow primary cusp, and smaller secondary lateral cusps. This tearing type dentition suggests Leptostyrax preferred moderately large prey like bony fishes.[4]
References
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedSchmitz et al. 2010 - ↑ Villalobos-Segura, Eduardo; Stumpf, Sebastian; Türtscher, Julia; Jambura, Patrick L.; Begat, Arnaud; López-Romero, Faviel A.; Fischer, Jan; Kriwet, Jürgen (2023-03-08). "A Synoptic Review of the Cartilaginous Fishes (Chondrichthyes: Holocephali, Elasmobranchii) from the Upper Jurassic Konservat-Lagerstätten of Southern Germany: Taxonomy, Diversity, and Faunal Relationships". Diversity 15 (3): 386. doi:10.3390/d15030386. ISSN 1424-2818. PMID 36950327. Bibcode: 2023Diver..15..386V.
- ↑ Frederickson, J.A.; Schaefer, S.N.; Doucette-Frederickson, J.A. (2015). "A gigantic shark from the Lower Cretaceous Duck Creek Formation of Texas". PLOS ONE 10 (6). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127162. PMID 26039066. Bibcode: 2015PLoSO..1027162F.
- ↑ Mikael Siversson & Marcin Machalski (2017) Late late Albian (Early Cretaceous) shark teeth from Annopol, Poland, Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 41:4, 433-463, DOI: 10.1080/03115518.2017.1282981
Wikidata ☰ Q20064853 entry
