Lepidotes sp.

Szabó, Márton, 2017, Fish remains from the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian-Hauterivian) of Hárskút (Hungary, Bakony Mts), Fragmenta Palaeontologica Hungarica 34, pp. 49-61 : 55

Lepidotes sp.

(Figs 16–17)

Referred material – 1 tooth (MBFSZ 2017.246.1.), stratigraphical origin: Hauterivian (Barremian in FÜLÖP 1964) .

Description – The tooth is large and circular in occlusal view. The profile view is hemispherical, a worn, large central protuberance (or central papilla) is present, which is more visible in this view. The enamel is thick and shiny, it bears various signs of wear. The tooth base bears fine apicobasal ridges all around. This tooth remain was listed as Sphaerodus neocomiensis by FÜLÖP (1964, p. 55).

Remarks – Almost any large, robust crushing tooth from the Mesozoic may be identified erroneously as Lepidotes sp. ( FOREY et al. 2011). Isolated teeth of Lepidotes lack distinguishing characters, which often makes it difficult to differentiate them from related taxa ( NORDÉN et al. 2015). The Hárskút specimen has very general characteristics, however, it still shows close morphological affinities with the teeth of the fish described widely as Lepidotes maximus (see e.g., ETHERIDGE & WILLETT 1889, pl. 15; JAIN 1984, pl. 2, fig. C; SCHNEIDER et al. 2013, fig. 8F). Numerous nominal species of Lepidotes have been described, a part of them probably represents nomina dubia, and indeed the genus requires an exhaustive revision.

A similar tooth, found in the Barremian of Zirc, was figured by FÜLÖP (1964, pl. 29, figs 9, 10) as Sphaerodus neocomiensis . Sphaerodus is a widely used, early synonym name for Lepidotes . The Zirc tooth may represents an other tooth remain of Lepidotes , based on its simple morphology of hemispherical shape and the presence of a central protuberance on the occlusal surface.