Odontaspis aculeatus (Cappetta and Case, 1975)

Notice the Double Side Cusplets

Close Up of Teeth

Remarks

• This nice group of teeth are from Michael Yuro's collection.  Strat and locale:  Monmouth Group, Navesink Formation, Monmouth County, NJ.  Thanks for the photo!

• Just for clarification, these are Sand Tiger Shark teeth which cannot be mistaken for teeth of the classic Eocene–MioceneTiger Shark, Galeocerdo (see Kent, 1994 for figures of both below).

• Odontaspis holmdelensis Cappetta and Case is slightly older based on the literature but very similar to O. aculeatus, with double cusplets.  O. holmdelensis can be distinguished from all other Atlantic Coast Odontaspis, including O. aculeatus, by striations that are visible on the cusp (see Lauginiger and Hartstein, 1983 below).  According to Kent (1994) O. holmdelensis is likely juvenile Scapanorhynchus texanus teeth mistakenly regarded as a new species.

General Info

Synonyms (older names and misidentifications in the literature)

• Sand Tiger Shark
• 1975 Hypotodus aculeatus Cappetta and Case
• 1978 Hypotodus grandis Case
• 1987 Odontaspis aculeatus (Cappetta and Case); Cappetta
• 1994 Odontaspis aculeatus (Cappetta and Case); Kent
• 1999 Odontaspis aculeatus (Cappetta and Case); Beavan and Russell

Stratigraphic Occurrence

• Monmouth Group, Navesink Formation of New Jersey and Delaware
• Monmouth Group, Mount Laurel Formation of New Jersey and Delaware
• Monmouth Group, Severn Formation of Maryland
• Judith River Group, Dinosaur Park Formation, Lethbridge Coal Member of Canada

Age

• Odontaspis aculeatus (Cappetta and Case) is a latest Campanian–middle Maastrichtian shark (~72–70 mya).

Geographic Occurrence (not an all-inclusive list)

• Alberta, Canada
• Cecil County, MD
• Monmouth County, NJ
• New Castle County, DE

Remarks

         For identification and information, see:

• Beavan, N. R.; Russell, A. P.  1999.  An Elasmobranch Assemblage From the Terrestrial-Marine Transitional Lethbridge Coal Zone (Dinosaur Park Formation:  Upper Campanian), Alberta, Canada.  Journal of Paleontology 73 (3), 494–503.

• Cappetta, H.; Case, G. R.  1975.  Contribution à l'Étude des Sélaciens du Groupe Monmouth (Campanien–Maestrichtien) du New Jersey.  Palaeontographica (A) 151, 1–46.

• Case, G. R.  1995.  Fossil Shark Remains From the Early and Middle Maastrichtian of the Upper Cretaceous of Monmouth County, New Jersey.  Geological Association, New Jersey, Field Guide 12.

• Kent, B. W.  1994.  Fossil Sharks of the Chesapeake Bay Region.  Egan Rees & Boyer:  Columbia.

• Lauginiger, E. M.; Hartstein, E. F.  1983.  A Guide to Fossil Sharks, Skates, and Rays From the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Area, Delaware.  Delaware Geological Survey, Open File Report 21.