LOWER CRETACEOUS - MIDDLE AND LATE ALBIAN (GAULT CLAY ) - SHARK TEETH from KENT, UK

Images are presented of fossilised teeth from most of the currently known shark families that can be found in the Lower Cretaceous, Middle and Late Albian (Gault Clay) of Kent in south-east England.

Fourteen families and twenty-seven genera are included. Apart from the larger sharks, mainly represented by the Lamniformes, most teeth are from small species and in the main have been acquired through bulk sampling and sieving of washed clay residues. Indeed, most of the gault shark species are represented by tiny teeth, ranging from 1mm up to a few centimetres.

Notwithstanding the diversity of the gault shark fauna, fossilised teeth are relatively uncommon and these specimens represent the very best of many years of collecting.

This is not intended as a scientific publication for bibliographic purposes.

CHONDRICHTHYES
Subclass: Elasmobranchii BONAPARTE 1838
Euselachii HAY 1902
POLYACRODONTIDAE Glückman 1964

Lissodus levis (WOODWARD 1887)

Polyacrodus sp.
 
PTYCHODONTIDAE Jaekel 1898
Ptychodus aff. decurrens AGASSIZ 1835

 

Neoselachii COMPAGNO 1977
 
SYNECHODONTIFORMES Duffin & Ward 1993
PALAEOSPINACIDAE Regan 1906
  Paraorthacodus recurvus (TRAUTSCHOLD 1877)
Synechodus dubrisiensis (MACKIE 1863)
  Synechodus nitidus WOODWARD 1911
  Synechodus nitidus WOODWARD 1911
  Synechodus sp
  Synechodus sp
  Synechodus sp
  Synechodus sp
 
HEXANCHIFORMES Buen 1926
HEXANCHIDAE Gray 1851
  Notorhynchus aptiensis (PICTET 1865)
Notidanidon lanceolatus (WOODWARD 1886)
 
SQUALIFORMES Goodrich 1909
SQUALIDAE Bonaparte 1834
Protosqualus sigei CAPPETTA 1977
 
SQUATINIFORMES Buen 1926
SQUATINIDAE Buen 1926
Squatina sp. 1
  Squatina sp. 2
Squatina sp. 3
 
HETERODONTIFORMES Berg 1937
  Heterodontus canaliculatus (EGERTON 1850))
Heterodontus sp (anterior 1)
Heterodontus sp (anterior 2)
  Heterodontus sp (lateral 1)
  Heterodontus sp ( lateral 2)
  Heterodontus sp ( lateral 3)
 
ORECTOLOBIFORMES Applegate 1972
  Orectoloboides parvulus (DALINKIVICIUS 1935)
  Orectoloboides sp.
  Brachaelurus sp.
 
LAMNIFORMES Berg 1958
  Carcharias striatula (DALINKIVICIUS 1935)
 
  Anomotodon principialis CAPPETTA
  Scapanorhynchus praeraphiodon SOKOLOV 1978
  Paranomotodon angustidens (REUSS, 1845)
 
Cretoxyrhina sp.
  Dwardius sp.
Cretoxyrhina sp.
Cretalamna sp.
Leptostyrax macrorhiza (COPE 1875)
Paraisurus macrorhiza (PICTET & CAMPICHE 1858)
Protolamna sp.
Cretalamna sp.
 
  Microcorax sp.
  Squalicorax primaevus (DALINKEVICIUS 1935)
 
CARCHARHINIFORMES Compagno 1973
Scyliorhinus destombesi CAPPETTA 1975; CAPPETTA 1977
Scyliorhinus dubium (WOODWARD 1889)
Scyliorhinus sp.
 
Galeomorphii incertae ordinis
Rhinobatoidei FOWLER 1941
Squatirhina thiesi BIDDLE 1993

 

REFERENCES

 

The help and support is gratefully acknowleged of David Ward of Orpington for making freely available use of his electronic imaging facilities, for help in collecting and processing bulk clay samples and with identification of specimens.