Fossil Fish Teeth in Phosphatic Series of Jebel Dyr (Algerian-Tunisian Border Area)

Boulemia Salim,Hamimed Messaoud

doi:10.4236/ojg.2018.812065

Abstract

The Thanetian phosphatic series of Jebel Dyr syncline, northeastern Algeria, are analyzed for their paleontological content. Materials were concentrated by sample washing and outcrops surface collecting of friable phosphorites facies, yielding a multitude of phosphatised fish teeth rich in species of variable morphology, representing 28 species of Elasmobranchii. The fish fauna indicates tropical to temperate paleo-environmental conditions. Most of the species represent benthic/nektonic forms of coastal areas with neritic and midwater depths of the continental slope.

Highlights

The Thanetian phosphatic series of the Algerian-Tunisian border region and their paleontological contents are still insufficiently known, despite the contributions of [1] [2] [3].The fish fauna characterizing these rocks includes a multitude of species represented by teeth and some isolated vertebrae
We have studied tens of samples collected from phosphatic outcrops of the southeastern flank of Jebel Dyr (Figure 1)
1) The Jebel Dyr phosphatic serie yielded a wealth of fish remains with many predators, represented by 28 species of Elasmobranchii (Euselachii and Batoidea)

Summary

Introduction

The Thanetian phosphatic series of the Algerian-Tunisian border region and their paleontological contents are still insufficiently known, despite the contributions of [1] [2] [3]. The fish fauna characterizing these rocks includes a multitude of species represented by teeth and some isolated vertebrae. We have studied tens of samples collected from phosphatic outcrops of the southeastern flank of Jebel Dyr (Figure 1). We characterise and establish a general systematic overview of the many fish (elasmobranchs). Teeth of sharks and rays are characterised by strong heterodontism leading range of morphological disparity [4] [5] [6] [7] described several kinds of heterodonty: monognathic (e.g. in Odontaspididae and Rajidae), dignathic

Methods

Results

Conclusion