Phoebodus

Phoebodus
Temporal range: Middle Devonian–Late Devonian
Life restoration of Phoebodus saidselachus
Teeth of various species of Phoebodus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Clade: Phoebodontiformes
Genus: Phoebodus
St. John and Worthen 1875
Species

See text

Phoebodus is an extinct genus of phoebodontiform total group elasmobranch, known from over a dozen species found worldwide spanning the middle to late Devonian, making it one of the oldest known total group elasmobranchs.[1][2] Most species are only known from their isolated tricuspid teeth, but one species, Phoebodus saidselachus from the Late Devonian of Morocco, is known from a complete skeleton, estimated to have been 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in total length in life, which shows that it had a slender body superficially similar to that of the living frilled shark. The teeth of Phoebodus and frilled sharks are also morphologically similar, and are designed for grasping prey. Phoebodus probably consumed small prey items that were capable of being swallowed whole.[2]

  1. ^ Ivanov, A. O. (May 2021). "A New Phoebodontid Shark from the Devonian of the Urals and the Distribution of Phoebodus Species". Paleontological Journal. 55 (3): 301–310. doi:10.1134/S0031030121030096. ISSN 0031-0301. S2CID 235966785.
  2. ^ a b Frey, Linda; Coates, Michael; Ginter, Michał; Hairapetian, Vachik; Rücklin, Martin; Jerjen, Iwan; Klug, Christian (2019-10-09). "The early elasmobranch Phoebodus : phylogenetic relationships, ecomorphology and a new time-scale for shark evolution". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 286 (1912): 20191336. doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.1336. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 6790773. PMID 31575362.