| Pristiophorus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Japanese sawshark, (P. japonicus) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Division: | Selachii |
| Order: | Pristiophoriformes |
| Family: | Pristiophoridae |
| Genus: | Pristiophorus J. P. Müller & Henle, 1837 |
| Type species | |
| Pristis cirratus Latham, 1794 | |
Pristiophorus is a genus of sawsharks found in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. Members of this genus differ from sixgill sawsharks of the genus Pliotrema in having five gill slits. Their rostral sawteeth lack prominent transverse ridges on the basal ledges, and the large teeth are not posteriorly serrated. [1]
The genus name Pristiophorus comes from Ancient Greek pristēs, meaning "saw", and -phóros, meaning "bearing".
There are currently seven recognized species in this genus: [2] [3]
Based on the Shark-References database: [5]
However, Villafaña et al. (2025) noted that the smooth rostral spines used to identify fossil Pristiophorus species may not necessarily be diagnostic to just Pristiophorus, at least in South American fossil localities on the Pacific coast. [12] The most effective way to diagnose a fossil sawshark species to Pristiophorus, and as its own species, is via the rarely-preserved oral teeth, which tend to not be associated with the rostral spines. [13]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)