The genus Meristodonoides is well represented by isolated teeth from the Western Interior Seaway; but also from Kazakhstan, northern Europe and elsewhere in North America. They are associated with relatively shallow marine deposits. These species had been formerly included as Hybodus on the website and elsewhere.

Type species. Hybodus rajkovichi Case, 2001 from the Cenomanian, Late Cretaceous of MN, USA.

Reported North American taxa include:

  • M. butleri (THURMOND 1971) Aptian-Albian of Texas .
  • M. montanensis (CASE 1978) - L. Campanian of Montana,
  • M. novojerseyensis (Case and Cappetta, 2004) E. Maastrichtian of New Jersey.
  • M. rajkovichi (CASE 2001) Cenomanian of Minnesota.

    Other reported occurrences that include or likely represent this genus are:

  • Cappetta & Case (1975: 4) "Hybodus sp" (likely M. novojerseyensis) from the Late Campanian of New Jersey.
  • Lauginiger & Hartstein (1983:10) "Hybodus sp" (likely M. novojerseyensis) from the Marshalltown Fm. (Late Campanian) of Delaware.
  • Manning & Dockery (1992:24) reported "Hybodus sp" (likely M. novojerseyensis) from the Frankstown fauna (Demopolis Fm., Late Campanian) of Mississippi.
  • Welton & Farish (1993: 48-49) included M. butleri (Aptian-Albian) and "Hybodus sp" (Cenomanian-Coniacian) from deposits of Texas; the latter teeth appear quite similar to M. novojerseyensis of the East Coast.
  • Robb (1989: 78) included as M. montanensis in the Black Creek Group based on dorsal spines.
  • Williamson et al. (1989: 241; fig. 2h-i) included as Hybodus cf.H. butleri from New Mexico specimens that conform with the M. montanensis tooth design.
  • Underwood & Cumbaa (2010) included M. rajkovichi from the Cenomanian of Saskatchewan.
  • Everhart (2011) reported Meristodonoides from the Kiowa (Albian), Dakota (Cenomanian) and Carlile (Turonian) formations of Kansas.
  • Bourdon et al. (2011: 4) included Meristodonoides montanensis from the Santonian of New Mexico.
  • Hamm & Cicimurri (2011) included Meristodonoides sp in the Atco Formation (Early Coniacian) of Texas.

    The Meristodonoides dentition is of a clutching-tearing type with gradational monognathic heterodonty. Underwood & Cumbaa (2010) note diagnostic characteristics to include: erect primary cusp with slight inclination in more lateral positions; oval main cusp, weakly compressed labio-lingually, with a complete but weak cutting edge; lateral cusplets small or absent, well separated from the main cusp; well-differentiated labial folds; and a low, well vascularized root, many foramina present below crown (labially).

    Acknowledgements

    Dr. Underwood (pers. com. 2010) was kind enough to review the contents of this page.

    Selected References

    Bourdon, J., Wright, K., Lucas, S.G., Spielmann, J.A. and Pence, R., 2011. Selachians from the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Hosta Tongue of the Point Lookout Sandstone, central New Mexico. New Mex. Mus. Nat. His. and Sc., Bulletin 52; 54pp.
    Cappetta, H., 1987. Chondrichthyes II. Mesozoic and Cenozoic Elasmobranchii. In: Handbook of Paleoichthyologie, vol. 3b, Gustav Fischer Verleg, Stuttgart, 193 pp.
    Cappetta, H. & Case, G., 1975. Contribution à l'étude des sélaciens du groupe Monmouth (Campanien - Maestrichtian) du New Jersey. Palaeontographica Abteilung A, 151:1-46.
    Case, G., 2001. A new selacjian fauna from the Coleraine Formation (Upper Cretaceous / Cenomanian) of Minnesota. Palaeontographica Abteilung, 261 (4-6): 103-112. 2 pl.
    Case, G., and H. Cappetta,2004. Additions to the elasmobranch fauna from the Upper Cretaceous of New Jersey (Middle Maastrichtian, Navesink Formation). Palaeovertebrata 33.
    Everhart, M.J., 2011. Occurrence of the hybodont shark genus Meristodonoides (Chondrichthyes; Hybodontiformes) in the Cretaceous of Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, v. 114.1-2: 33-46.
    Hamm, S.A. and D.J. Cicimurri, 2011. Early Coniacian (Late Cretaceous) selachian fauna from the basal Atco Formation, Lower Austin Group, north central Texas; Paludicola [Rochester Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology] 8(3):107-127.
    Lauginiger, E. and Hartstein, E., 1983. A guide to fossil sharks, skates, and rays from the Chesapeake and Delaware canal area, Delaware. Delaware Geological Survey, Open File No. 21. 62pp, 5 plates.
    Manning, E. and Dockery III, D, 1992. A guide to the Frankstown vertebrate fossil locality (Upper Cretaceous), Prentiss County, Mississippi. Mississippi Dept. of Env. Qual., Office of Geology, Circular 4, 43 p., 12 pls.
    Maisey, J., 1996. Discovering Fossil Fishes. Holt & Company, NY. 223 pp.
    Robb, A., 1989. The Upper Cretaceous (Campanian, Black Creek Formation) Fossil Fish Fauna of Phoebus Landing, Bladen County, North Carolina, The Mosasaur, Vol 4, pp 75-92.
    Schwimmer, D., 1986. Late Cretaceous fossils from the Blufftown Formation (Campanian) in western Georgia. The Mosasaur. Delaware Valeey Paleontological Society. pp 109-119.
    Underwood, C. J. and Cumbaa, S. L., 2010. Chondrichthyans from a Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) bonebed, Saskatchewan, Canada. Palaeontolgy.Vol. 53(4): 903-944.
    Welton, B. and Farish, R., 1993. The Collector's Guide to Fossil Sharks and Rays from the Cretaceous of Texas. Before Time, Texas. 204 pp.
    Williamson, T., S. Lucas and R. Pence, 1989. Selachians from the Hosta Tongue of the Point Lookout Sandstone (Upper Cretaceous, Santonian), Central New Mexico. NMGS Guidebook 40. pp 239-245.

     

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