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Cladodus

Cladodus is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fishes in the family Ctenacanthidae. As the name implies, they are a type of cladodont, primitive sharks with teeth designed to snag fish and swallow them whole, instead of sawing off chunks to swallow.

Fossils of Cladodus have been found in Barkip, Scotland, Bundock and Laurel Formations, Australia and in the Pitkin Formation (Carboniferous period) in Arkansas, United States. In addition, fossils attributable to Cladodus are known from the Manning Canyon Shale of Carboniferous age in the state of Utah.

Species

  • †Cladodus alternatus <small>St. John & Worthen, 1875</small>
  • †Cladodus angulatus <small>Newberry & Worthen, 1866</small>
  • †Cladodus bellifer <small>St. John & Worthen, 1875</small>
  • †Cladodus divaricatus <small>Trautschold, 1874</small>
  • †Cladodus elegans <small>Newberry & Worthen, 1870</small> Remains (braincase and a tooth) have been found in Scotland (Clackmannan Group).
  • †Cladodus eriensis <small>Bryant, 1935</small>
  • †Cladodus formosus <small>Hay, 1902</small>
  • †Cladodus gailensis <small>Feichtinger et al., 2021</small>
  • †Cladodus marginatus <small>Agassiz, 1843</small>
  • †Cladodus mirabilis <small>Agassiz, 1843</small> (type species)
  • †Cladodus pandatus <small>St. John & Worthen, 1875</small>
  • †Cladodus springeri <small>St. John & Worthen, 1875</small>
  • †Cladodus thomasi <small>Turner, 1982</small> Known by teeth from the Lower Carboniferous Bundock Formation, North Queensland, and the Tournaisian Laurel Formation, Western Australia. Teeth reach 2.2-90 mm in length. This species was considered as a junior synonym of Stethacanthus obtusus by Lebedev (1996) but later reassigned to Cladodus due to a smaller number and distinct morphology of cusps.
  • †Cladodus vanhornei <small>St. John & Worthen, 1875</small>
  • †Cladodus yunnanensis <small>Pan, 1964</small>

See also

References