Carcharoides catticus ( Philippi, 1846 )

Szabó, Márton & Kocsis, László, 2016, A preliminary report on the Early Oligocene (Rupelian, Kiscellian) selachians from the Kiscell Formation (Buda Mts, Hungary), with the re-discovery of Wilhelm Weiler’s shark teeth, Fragmenta Palaeontologica Hungarica 33, pp. 31-64 : 46

Carcharoides catticus ( Philippi, 1846)

( Figs 34–36 )

1846 Otodus catticus n. sp. – PHILIPPI, p. 24, pl. 2, figs 5–7.

1933 Lamna cattica Philippi – WEILER, p. 24, text-fig. 13.

1999 Carcharoides catticus ( Philippi, 1846) – MÜLLER, pl. 3, figs 9–12.

2005 Carcharoides catticus ( Philippi, 1846) – REINECKE et al., pp. 28–30, pl. 19, figs 3–6.

2007 Carcharoides catticus (Philippi, 1851) – KOCSIS, p. 33, figs 5.1–5.3.

2014 Carcharoides catticus ( Philippi, 1846) – REINECKE et al., p. 20, pl. 20, figs 1–6.

Referred material: 15 teeth (VER 2016.3414., VER 2016.3419., VER 2016.3428., VER 2016.3431., VER 2016.3445., VER 2016.3446., VER 2016.3450.).

Remarks: The teeth are very characteristic, and easy to identify. The main crown is pointed on all files, it bears no striation or any other kind of ornamentation. Anteriors and lower laterals have narrow, straight main crown, but those of upper laterals are triangular, and distally bent ( Figs 34–36 ). The main crown of upper laterals is strongly flattened, only the lingual surface shows weak convexity. The lateral cusplets are relatively big, they are narrow and pointed on anteriors and lower laterals, while labiolingually flattened, triangular on upper laterals (the lateral cusplets of the anterior and lower lateral files are usually circular in cross- section). The carinae of the main crown are smooth all along, they often run down to the root-crown boundary (sometimes the carinae of the main crown are continuous with the flattened edges of the lateral cusplets; see VERWEY 2013; fig. 4). The root is bifurcated, flattened, its lingual side bears a central bulge with a transversal groove. The anteriors and lower laterals have symmetrical root, while the distals and upper laterals have asymmetrical root.

C. catticus specimens from the Kiscell Clay are mostly fragmentary, only a few of them have some portions of the root, or the lateral cusplets preserved. According to REINECKE et al. (2014), the reports on the Rupelian presence of the species in the Buda Hills ( WEILER 1933, 1938; FÖLDVÁRY 1988) is one of the oldest records of the species. C. catticus is thought to be a neritic, medium sized form. The species has been reported from Western Africa and Europe, from the middle Oligocene to the middle Miocene ( CAPPETTA 1987), however, exceptional Eocene reports are also known ( OTERO et al. 2012, 2013).

Figures

Figs 34–36. Carcharoides catticus (Philippi, 1846). – 34. Upper lateral tooth (VER 2016.3446.), lingual view. – 35. Upper lateral tooth (VER 2016.3445.), labial view. – 36. Upper lateral tooth (VER 2016.3450.), labial view. – Figs 37–44. Isurolamna gracilis (Le Hon, 1871). – 37–39. Lower anterolateral tooth (VER 2016.3436.). – 37. Lingual view. – 38. Profile view. – 39. Labial view. – 40–42.?Upper lateral tooth (VER 2016.3437.). – 40. Lingual view.– 41. Profile view. – 42. Labial view. – 43–44. Lower lateral tooth (VER 2016.3438.). – 43. Lingual view. – 44. Labial view. Scale bars: 5 mm