A team of paleontologists from California State Polytechnic University and others has described a new genus and species of shark-like fish from the Fayetteville Shale in late Mississippi, Arkansas.
The newly described species lived in the Devonian seas, about 326 million years ago.
named Cosmoserax meringii This is one of many well-preserved shark fossils discovered from oil-producing seas. fayetteville shale formation Stretching from southeastern Oklahoma to northwestern Arkansas, it has been studied for many years for its well-preserved invertebrate and plant fossils.
“These creatures are part of an ecosystem that recovered after the mass extinction of fish communities at the end of the Devonian period, so they're part of the cartilaginous fish family, which includes all sorts of strange anatomy not seen in modern sharks. We're at a point where the morphological diversity of the species is astonishing,” said Dr. Alison Bronson, a researcher at California State Polytechnic Institute.
fossil of Cosmoserax meringii It was collected by Professors Royal and Gene Mapes of Ohio University in the 1970s.
Dr. Bronson and his colleagues performed a CT scan of the specimen and digitally reconstructed it.
They spent months studying to describe its anatomy, which includes dozens of tiny pieces of cartilage.
Once the reconstruction is complete, they Cosmoserax meringii In the early cartilaginous fish tree of life.
Cosmoserax meringii It was photographed in the 1970s and positioned so that the throat, jaw, and underside of the pectoral fins are visible. Image credit: Royal Mapes.
The authors found that this new species plays an important role in understanding the evolution of a mysterious group called green sea turtles. Shinmori form.
“This group has been alternately associated with sharks and mousefish, and different researchers have reached different conclusions,” they said.
“Cosmoserax meringii Most have shark-like features, but with long pieces of cartilage forming gill operculae, which are only seen today in ratfish.”
of study It was published in the magazine geodiversity.
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AW Bronson other. 2024. A new gilllike simoliform chondrich from the Late Mississippian Fayetteville Shale (Arkansas, USA). geodiversity 46 (4): 101-117; doi: 10.5252/geodiversitas2024v46a4
Source: www.sci.news
