Villalobos-Segura, E. and Underwood, Charlie J. and Ward, D.J. (2019) The first skeletal record of the Cretaceous Enigmatic Sawfish genus Ptychotrygon (Chondrichthyes: Batoidea) from the Turonian (Cretaceous) of Morocco. Papers in Palaeontology 7 (1), pp. 353-376. ISSN 2056-2799.
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Abstract
A new fossil batoid (ray) Ptychotrygon rostrispatula sp. nov. is described from five exceptionally well-preserved, three-dimensional skeletal remains from the Turonian (Late Cretaceous) of Morocco. These specimens represent the first known skeletal remains for the genus Ptychotrygon and allow an almost complete description of the genus providing a new insight to its phylogenetic relations and validate its taxonomic status as a member of the Sclerorhynchoidei. Mechanical preparation of the fossil remains revealed a relatively large batoid species (estimated total length beyond 1 meter). Overall morphology resembles that of sclerorhynchoids with a robust hypertrophied rostrum that lacks enlarged rostral denticles with enlarged paddle-like pectoral proximal elements (propterygium, mesopterygium and metapterygium). Never seen before details of the branchial skeleton are presented (large second hypobranchial without anterior process which was probably fused to the basibranchial and no evidence of articulation with other branchial element). To assess the phylogenetic relations of these specimens within the sclerorhynchoids a parsimonious analysis using TNT and PAUP software packages was performed. These analyses included Asflapristis cristadentis that along with Ptychotrygon rostrispatula sp. nov. were used as representatives of Ptychotrygonidae and also includes six other genera of sclerorhynchoids with relatively good skeletal remains. Both analyses recovered two monophyletic groups within sclerorhynchoids: the first contains Ischyrhiza, Onchopristis and Schizorhiza and a second that includes Micropristis, Sclerorhynchus, Libanopristis and Ptychotrygonidae.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | This is the peer reviewed version of the article, which has been published in final form at the link above. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. |
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science > School of Natural Sciences |
| Research Centres and Institutes: | Earth and Planetary Sciences, Institute of |
| Depositing User: | Charles Underwood |
| Date Deposited: | 25 Jun 2019 12:16 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:52 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/27927 |
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