Phoebodus

Phoebodus Temporal range: Middle Devonian–Late Devonian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Life restoration of Phoebodus saidselachus
Teeth of various species of Phoebodus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	† Phoebodontiformes
Family:	† Phoebodontidae
Genus:	† Phoebodus St. John and Worthen 1875
Species
See text

Phoebodus is an extinct genus of phoebodontiform total group elasmobranch, known from over a dozen species found worldwide spanning the middle to late Devonian, making it one of the oldest known total group elasmobranchs. ^{[1] [2]} Most species are only known from their isolated tricuspid teeth, but one species, Phoebodus saidselachus from the Late Devonian of Morocco, is known from a complete skeleton, estimated to have been 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in total length in life, which shows that it had a slender body superficially similar to that of the living frilled shark. The teeth of Phoebodus and frilled sharks are also morphologically similar, and are designed for grasping prey. Phoebodus probably consumed small prey items that were capable of being swallowed whole. Prey of Phoebodus would have included thylacocephalans or cephalopods (such as ammonoids, bactritids and orthocerids). ^[2]

Species

After Ivanov, 2021 ^[1]

• Phoebodus sophiae St. John & Worthen, 1875 (type). Australia, Iran, Mauritania, Poland, Spain, Portugal, United States (Indiana, Iowa, New York), Russia (Siberia). Middle Devonian (Givetian)
• Phoebodus fastigatus Ginter & Ivanov, 1992. Australia, Mauritania, Morocco, Russia (Urals), Poland, Spain, United States (New York, Iowa, Utah, Indiana). Middle-Late Devonian (Givetian-upper Frasnian)
• Phoebodus curvatus Ivanov, 2021. Russia (Urals), Poland, Australia. Middle-Late Devonian (upper Givetian-upper Frasnian)
• Phoebodus latus Ginter & Ivanov, 1995. Australia, Russia (Urals, Siberia), Poland, Iran. Middle-Late Devonian (latest Givetian-upper Frasnian)
• Phoebodus bifurcatus Ginter & Ivanov, 1992. Australia, China, Mauritania, Iran, Poland, Czechia, Belgium, United States (Utah), Russia (Urals). Late Devonian (upper Frasnian)
• Phoebodus typicus Ginter & Ivanov, 1995. Australia, Morocco, Iran, Russia (Urals, Siberia). Late Devonian (lower-mid Famennian), forms labelled P. cf. typicus occur in the middle Famennian of Belarus and Armenia, and the upper Famennian of Siberia
• Phoebodus rayi Ginter & Turner, 1999. Australia, Canada, Iran. Late Devonian (lower-mid Famennian), forms labelled P. cf. typicus occur in Iran and Lithuania, ranging into the early late Fammenian
• Phoebodus turnerae Ginter & Ivanov, 1992 Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Belgium, Iran, Poland, Morocco, United States (Alaska). Late Devonian (Famennian)
• Phoebodus gothicus Ginter, 1990. Russia (Urals), Iran, Armenia, Algeria, Morocco, Germany, France, Poland, United States (Ohio, Utah, Iowa), south China. Late Devonian (Famennian)
• Phoebodus depressus Ginter, Hairapetian & Klug, 2002. Algeria. Late Devonian (lower-mid Famennian), P. cf. depressus is known from Iran
• Phoebodus saidselachus Frey et al. 2019. Morocco. Late Devonian (early-mid Famennian)
• Phoebodus limpidus Ginter, 1990. Italy, south China, Russia (Urals, North Caucasus), Morocco, Poland, France, Germany, United States (Nevada, Wyoming, Utah). Late Devonian (mid-upper Famennian)
• Phoebodus politus Newberry, 1889. United States (Ohio). Late Devonian (upper Famennian)

Supposed species in this genus from the Triassic, like "Phoebodus" brodiei, and "Phoebodus" keuperinus are now placed in the genus Keuperodus in the family Jalodontidae. ^[3]

References

1. Ivanov, A. O. (May 2021). "A New Phoebodontid Shark from the Devonian of the Urals and the Distribution of Phoebodus Species" . Paleontological Journal. 55 (3): 301–310. doi:10.1134/S0031030121030096. ISSN   0031-0301. S2CID   235966785.
2. Frey, Linda; Coates, Michael; Ginter, Michał; Hairapetian, Vachik; Rücklin, Martin; Jerjen, Iwan; Klug, Christian (2019-10-09). "The early elasmobranch Phoebodus: phylogenetic relationships, ecomorphology and a new time-scale for shark evolution". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 286 (1912) 20191336. doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.1336. ISSN   0962-8452. PMC   6790773 . PMID   31575362.
3. Ivanov, Alexander O.; Duffin, Christopher J.; Richter, Martha (2021-03-04). "Youngest jalodontid shark from the Triassic of Europe and a revision of the Jalodontidae" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 41 (2) e1931259. doi:10.1080/02724634.2021.1931259. ISSN   0272-4634. S2CID   237518008.

Further reading

• Brett Roelofs, Milo Barham, Arthur J. Mory, Kate Trinajstics (January 2016). "Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous chondrichthyans from the Fairfield Group, Canning Basin, Western Australia". Palaeontologia Electronica. 19 (1): 1-28. doi: 10.26879/583 .