Abstract
Here we report the first record of one of the most common and widespread Palaeogene selachians, the sand tiger shark Brachycarcharias, from the Ypresian Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte. The combination of dental character of the 15 isolated teeth collected from the Pesciara and Monte Postale sites (e.g. anterior teeth up to 25 mm with fairly low triangular cusp decreasing regularly in width; one to two pairs of well-developed lateral cusplets; root with broadly separated lobes; upper teeth with a cusp bent distally) supports their assignment to the odontaspidid Brachycarcharias lerichei (Casier, 1946), a species widely spread across the North Hemisphere during the early Palaeogene. The unambiguous first report of this lamniform shark in the Eocene Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte improves our knowledge concerning the diversity and palaeobiology of the cartilaginous fishes of this palaeontological site, and provides new insights about the biotic turnovers that involved the high trophic levels of the marine settings after the end-Cretaceous extinction.
Highlights
IntroductionExtant selachians of the family Odontaspididae, known as sand tiger sharks, include large size species (up to 4.5 m) within the order Lamniformes, that inhabit marine tropical to cold waters of the continental and insular shelves to deep slopes (up to 1600 m) of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans (Compagno 1984; Cappetta 2012; Nelson et al 2016; Froese and Pauly 2017)
Extant selachians of the family Odontaspididae, known as sand tiger sharks, include large size species within the order Lamniformes, that inhabit marine tropical to cold waters of the continental and insular shelves to deep slopes of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans (Compagno 1984; Cappetta 2012; Nelson et al 2016; Froese and Pauly 2017)
Are-examination of elasmobranch remains from the famous Ypresian Bolca Lagerstätte of northern Italy revealed the first documented occurrence of Brachycarcharias lerichei (Casier, 1946) from this locality and allowed us to analyse the palaeobiology and palaeobiogeography of this Palaeogene sand tiger shark
Summary
Extant selachians of the family Odontaspididae, known as sand tiger sharks, include large size species (up to 4.5 m) within the order Lamniformes, that inhabit marine tropical to cold waters of the continental and insular shelves to deep slopes (up to 1600 m) of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans (Compagno 1984; Cappetta 2012; Nelson et al 2016; Froese and Pauly 2017). In addition to complete and well-articulated specimens, the fossils of Bolca include isolated shark teeth, which are crucial to reconstruct the taxonomic diversity of chondrichthyans during the Eocene, and to better understand the biological shifts that occurred after the end-Cretaceous extinction and those that shaped the biotic configuration of modern marine ecosystems. The Bolca sites date back about 15 Ma after the end-Cretaceous extinction, corresponding to a period of maximum morphological diversification of major fish lineages (Friedman 2010; Near et al 2013) and coincides chronologically with the latest phase of the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (Papazzoni and Trevisani 2006; Papazzoni et al 2017). Several studies in the last four centuries contributed to our knowledge of the extraordinary
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
