Stethacanthus

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Stethacanthus
Temporal range: 382.7–298.9  Ma
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Late Devonian to Late Carboniferous
StethacanthusesDB 2.jpg
Restoration of S. altonensis and S. productus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Symmoriiformes
Family: Stethacanthidae
Genus: Stethacanthus
Newberry, 1889
Type species
Stethacanthus altonensis
St. John and Worthen, 1875 [1]
Other species
  • S. concavusGinter, 2018 [2]
  • S. gansuensisWang et al., 2004 [3]
  • S. neilsoni
  • S. praecursorHussakof & Bryant, 1918 [4]
  • S. resistens
  • S. thomasi
  • S. productusNewberry, 1897 [5]
Synonyms

Stethacanthus is an extinct genus of shark-like cartilaginous fish which lived from the Late Devonian to Late Carboniferous epoch, dying out around 298.9 million years ago. Fossils have been found in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America.

Contents

Etymology

Stethacanthus comes from the Greek στῆθος (stēthos), meaning "chest", and ἄκανθος (akanthos), meaning "spine" or "thorn". The name refers to the distinctive anvil-shaped first dorsal fin and spine displayed by mature males of the genus. [6]

Description

Stethacanthus had different sizes depending on species, S. altonensis had length about 1.5 metres (4.9 ft), while S. productus reached 3 metres (9.8 ft). [7] In many respects, it had a shark-like appearance. However, it is best known for its unusually shaped dorsal fin, which resembled an anvil or ironing board. Small spikes (enlarged versions of the dermal denticles commonly covering shark skin) covered this crest, and the ratfish's head as well. [8] The crest may have played a role in mating rituals, aided in clamping to the belly of larger marine animals, or been used to frighten potential predators. [9]

Like other members of Stethacanthidae, Stethacanthus had unique pelvic girdles, single-crowned and non-growing scales, a pectoral fin composed of metapterygium with an accompanying ‘whip’ attached and a distinctive first dorsal fin and spine, termed the spine-brush complex. The neurocranium had a narrow suborbital shelf, a broad supraorbital shelf, a short otico-occipital division, large orbits, [10] and cladodontic teeth that aligned precisely. In addition to these features, Stethacanthus also had male pelvic claspers with non-prismatic calcified cartilage at the distal ends. [11]

Spine-brush complex

Restoration of a S. altonensis pair Steth pair1.jpg
Restoration of a S. altonensis pair

The spine-brush complex occupies the same site as the first dorsal fin on other ratfish and contains a basal plate extending inside a usually posterior-pointing dorsal spine composed of trabecular dentine. The spines resemble those of modern sharks and rays but curiously lack any enamel-like surface tissue. [12] The trabecular dentine contains patches of fibers suggesting attachments to the epaxial musculature. The way these muscles would have been positioned implies that the spine could have been moved in anterio-posterior direction. The so-called "brush" is not fibrous as was originally believed, but consists of a number of parallel, membranous tubules [6] made of globular calcified cartilage. [13] The brush base and basal plate are covered in a thin, acellular bone layer. [12] [13] Zangerl asserts that these tubules are similar to erectile tissues in humans, and thus the complex may have been inflatable. [6] The complex itself is covered in up to nine rows of large denticles pointing anteriorly. The dorsal side of the head has its own collection of denticles [13] which point posteriorly. [6] The presence of these large denticles has led to theories that the spine-brush complex in combination with the denticles on the head was used to scare away predators by simulating the mouth of a larger fish. [6] The complex has been affirmed only in males, and only in those males that have reached sexual maturity. [14] Whether the complex was present in females of the species is still unknown. [13] Another theory for the spine-brush complex is that it was involved either in attracting a mate [14] or in the mating process itself. [15]

Pectoral fin whip

The pectoral fins of Stethacanthus were composed of the triangular-shaped metapterygium observed in modern-day sharks, but had an additional long, metapterygial structure called a fin whip. These fin whips contain at least 22 axial cartilages and extended past the pelvic fins. The three most anterior axials are shorter than the more posterior axials. [11] The purpose of the fin whips is unknown but it has been suggested that they were used during mating. [15]

Teeth and denticles

The tooth files are whorl-shaped and the palatoquadrate is scalloped with 6-7 recesses to allow for the tooth families. The individual teeth are widely separated from each other in the tooth whorls. [16] The teeth themselves are of the cladodont variety; the bases of the teeth are broadest on the lingual side, and each support a single large cusp and two pairs of smaller accessory cusps for a total of five cusps. [16] The medial and most lateral cusps are the most fluted. The teeth appear to be mostly orthodentine, but when viewed in cross-section, change abruptly to osteodentine. The enameloid is single-layered, overlaying the thick mantle of orthodentine. [14] In addition to the dentition teeth, there are also a number of buccopharyngeal denticles lining the oropharynx. [11] [14] The denticles lining the top of the head and the top of the spine-brush complex are larger than the dentition teeth, and they appear as elongate monocuspid denticles. [13]

Pelvic girdles and claspers

In Stethacanthus, the pelvic girdles consist of sheets of prismatic cartilage, each in the shape of a subtriangular, rounded plate. The anterior edge of each girdle is slightly concave while the posterior is convex. There appears to be no union of the two plates. [11] There are two types of pelvic girdles found in stethacanthids: the primitive condition and the derived condition. In the primitive condition, the pelvic girdles have a metapterygial element supporting only one or two radials and most of the fin radials are attached directly to the pelvic plate. The derived condition differs in that there is a much higher number of radials supported by the pelvic plate. This feature, accompanied with a broadening of the pelvic girdle in order to accommodate the increased number of radials is a characteristic of Stethacanthus and other symmorriids. [14] The males had claspers that were club-shaped at the distal ends and composed of non-prismatic globular calcified cartilage. [12] [14]

Caudal fin

There was some caudal fin variety among Stethacanthus species; while some had low angle heterocercal tails, some had tails approaching homocercal. [14] The broad hypochordal lobe was supported by long, splayed fin radials. [11]

Paleobiology

Restoration of S. productus with prey Stethacanthus1DB.jpg
Restoration of S. productus with prey

It is certain that Stethacanthus was a carnivore, and considering its small size probably fed on small fish, brachiopods, and crinoid ossicles like other sharks of its time. [17] Additionally, as the spine-brush complex is rather a large structure, it seems likely that, in combination with the forward-facing denticles on the structure, it would have produced a drag force during fast locomotion. Therefore, Stethacanthus was probably a slow-moving shark. The fins of Stethacanthus were also smaller than in other sharks of the same size, and their teeth were also on the small side relative to other small Paleozoic sharks, suggesting that Stethacanthus may have been a bottom-dweller. [14] Considering that most of the Stethacanthus specimens were recovered in the Bear Gulch Limestone in Montana, it is possible that this area was not only a breeding ground for other sharks but also for Stethacanthus, suggesting that they were migratory. [18]

History

The several species of Stethacanthus discovered in the late 1800s were established based solely upon isolated spines, which initially confused paleontologist John Strong Newberry into thinking the spines constituted a new kind of fin. He originally believed that the spines were part of the pectoral fins and that they were not bilaterally symmetrical. [6] Meanwhile, the first associated skeletal remains found in the Mississippian of Montana and the Devonian and Mississippian of Ohio remained undescribed for nearly a century. [11] Since complete skeletons were extremely rare, Stethacanthus classification was vague and based on few characteristics. It was not until 1974 that the family Stethacanthidae was defined by Richard Lund because Stethacanthus differed so greatly from other elasmobranchs of the time. [11] Relative classifications of symmoriids compared to stethacanthids are still debated. More Stethacanthus specimens have been discovered, expanding their range from the Midwestern United States to the Lower Carboniferous of Bearsden, Scotland [11] and the Lower Tournaisian of the Tula Region of Central Russia [19] and China. [20] Stethacanthus teeth have been recovered from the Frasnian-Famennian Napier Formation and the Tournaisian Laurel Formation and Moogooree Limestone in Western Australia. [21] A partial palate and jawbone referred to a Stethacanthus sp. has also been recovered from the Bonaparte Basin, Western Australia. [22]

Classification

Restoration of the possible synonym Symmorium reniforme Symmorium1DB.jpg
Restoration of the possible synonym Symmorium reniforme

The presence of globular calcified cartilage in both the spine-brush complex base plate and brush and in the claspers is interesting because it is the first record of such a large mass of globular calcified cartilage in chondrichthyan. The high presence of globular calcified cartilage raises several questions about the evolution of sharks. It is possible that prismatic cartilage, a defining feature of chondrichthyans, is an evolutionary derivative of globular calcified cartilage. If this were the case, primitive chondrichthyans would have appeared with shark-like scales based instead on globular calcified cartilage. Another feature of note is the thin, acellular bone layer coating the brush and baseplate of the spine-brush complex. It is possible that the coating on the spine-brush complex is the first record of endoskeletal bone in primitive chondrichthyans, and that these endoskeletal features were lost in extant chondrichthyans. It is also possible that the fin spine could be a unique distribution of dermal skeleton and thus derived from neural crest. Following this assumption, the brush would be a fin-baseplate extension. The endoskeletal location and absence of fin radials supports the latter hypothesis. [12] [13]

Taxonomic relationships are hard to define for Stethacanthus as there is much variability in the characteristics of the discovered specimens. [14] Chondrichthyes is a monophyletic group characterized by the development of endoskeletal tesserae (mineralized blocks of cartilage) and internal fertilization. [23] Chondrichthyes is further divided into two subclasses: Elasmobranchii and Holocephali. Stethacanthids have been classified as a member of the group Paleoselachii, which is a subdivision of Elasmobranchii. Stethacanthus has been further classified as part of the order Symmoriida, a classification that has sparked a controversy. There are two main hypotheses regarding this classification. One hypothesis states that the order Symmoriida consists of the families Symmoriidae, Stethacanthidae and Falcatidae and thus are a monophyletic group. Another is that symmoriids are actually the females of stethacanthids [10] [13] or are derived from stethacanthids. [10] This hypothesis is due to the fact that stethacanthids and symmoriids are poorly defined; symmoriids are thought to lack a spine-brush complex but are otherwise identical to Stethacanthidae. Stethacanthids are identified by the presence of a spine-brush complex, which is in some cases non-existent (e.g. juvenile males), making the certain classification of stethacanthids and symmoriids difficult. [10]

More recently, Symmoriiformes as a whole has been reclassified as part of Holocephali, meaning that Stethacanthus may have been more closely related to modern chimaeras than to sharks. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chondrichthyes</span> Class of jawed cartilaginous fishes

Chondrichthyes is a class of jawed fish that contains the cartilaginous fish or chondrichthyans, which all have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage. They can be contrasted with the Osteichthyes or bony fish, which have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. Chondrichthyes are aquatic vertebrates with paired fins, paired nares, placoid scales, conus arteriosus in the heart, and a lack of opercula and swim bladders. Within the infraphylum Gnathostomata, cartilaginous fishes are distinct from all other jawed vertebrates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chimaera</span> Cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes

Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes, known informally as ghost sharks, rat fish, spookfish, or rabbit fish; the last three names are not to be confused with rattails, Opisthoproctidae, or Siganidae, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acanthodii</span> Paraphyletic group of cartilaginous fishes

Acanthodii or acanthodians is an extinct class of gnathostomes. They are currently considered to represent a paraphyletic grade of various fish lineages basal to extant Chondrichthyes, which includes living sharks, rays, and chimaeras. Acanthodians possess a mosaic of features shared with both osteichthyans and chondrichthyans. In general body shape, they were similar to modern sharks, but their epidermis was covered with tiny rhomboid platelets like the scales of holosteians.

<i>Cladoselache</i> Extinct genus of chondrichthyans

Cladoselache is an extinct genus of shark-like chondrichthyan from the Late Devonian (Famennian) of North America. It was similar in body shape to modern lamnid sharks, but was not closely related to lamnids or to any other modern (selachian) shark. As an early chondrichthyan, it had yet to evolve traits of modern sharks such as accelerated tooth replacement, a loose jaw suspension, enameloid teeth, and possibly claspers.

<i>Orthacanthus</i> Extinct genus of cartilaginous fishes

Orthacanthus is an extinct genus of fresh-water xenacanthiform cartilaginous fish, named by Louis Agassiz in 1843, ranging from the Upper Carboniferous into the Lower Permian. Orthacanthus had a nektobenthic life habitat, with a carnivorous diet. Multiple authors have also discovered evidence of cannibalism in the diet of Orthacanthus and of "filial cannibalism" where adult Orthacanthus preyed upon juvenile Orthacanthus. Synonyms of the genus Orthacanthus are Dittodus Owen, 1867, Didymodus Cope, 1883, Diplodus Agassiz, 1843, Chilodus Giebel, 1848.

<i>Hybodus</i> Extinct genus of shark-like hybodont

Hybodus is an extinct genus of hybodont that lived from the Middle Triassic to the Late Cretaceous periods. Species closely related to the type species Hybodus reticulatus lived during the Early Jurassic epoch. Numerous species have been assigned to Hybodus spanning a large period of time, and it is currently considered a wastebasket taxon that is 'broadly polyphyletic' and requires reexamination.

<i>Climatius</i> Extinct genus of cartilaginous fishes

Climatius is an extinct genus of spiny shark. This genus is known from the Early Devonian (Lochkovian) of Europe, previously considered Silurian remains actually belong to Nostolepis instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand lanternshark</span> Species of shark

The New Zealand lanternshark is a shark of the family Etmopteridae mainly found off the coast of New Zealand. It can also be found in the Southern areas of Australia and Africa, inhabiting water depths between 500-1500m. These sharks can be commonly known as Baxter's dogfish and giant lantern shark. According to the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS), this species conservation status is considered non-threatened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stethacanthidae</span> Extinct family of cartilaginous fishes

Stethacanthidae is an extinct family of prehistoric holocephalians. It is estimated to have existed approximately between 380 and 300 million years ago. Members of this family are noted for their peculiar dorsal fin.

<i>Ptychodus</i> Extinct genus of sharks

Ptychodus is a genus of extinct large durophagous (shell-crushing) lamniform sharks from the Cretaceous period, spanning from the Albian to the Campanian. Fossils of Ptychodus teeth are found in many Late Cretaceous marine sediments worldwide.

<i>Akmonistion</i> Extinct genus of cartilaginous fishes

Akmonistion is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish that lived in the Early Carboniferous. The genus contains a single species, A. zangerli, discovered by Stan Wood in 1982. It is distinguished by an unusual enlarged formation of the dorsal fin, called a "spine-brush complex", of unknown function. This is also found in the better known genus Stethacanthus. Remains have only been found near Bearsden in Scotland. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek “akmon” (“anvil”) + “istion” (“sail”) referring to the appearance of its first dorsal fin. It reached 62 cm (24 in) in length.

Netsepoye is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish distantly related to the modern order Chimaeriformes, containing the single species Netspoye hawesi. It lived more than 320 million years ago during the Late Mississippian.

<i>Symmorium</i> Extinct genus of cartilaginous fishes

Symmorium is a dubious genus of extinct stethacanthid cartilaginous fish from the Devonian and Carboniferous of the United States (Illinois) and Russia. The type species, Symmorium reniforme, was named by Edward Drinker Cope in 1893 and several other species were originally classed under this genus, but they have since been classified into other genera such as Petalodus. Symmorium bears close similarity in size and appearance to Stethacanthus but the former is missing the "spine and brush" on its back. Some paleontologists think that the two forms are simply the males and females of related species, while other scientists think they were distinct genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falcatidae</span> Extinct family of cartilaginous fishes

Falcatidae is a family of Paleozoic cartilaginous fish belonging to the order Symmoriiformes. Members of this family include Falcatus, a small fish from the Bear Gulch Limestone of Montana. The family first appeared around the start of the Carboniferous, and there is some evidence that they survived well into the early Cretaceous, though its putative Cretaceous members were also argued to be more likely neoselachians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybodontiformes</span> Extinct order of chondrichthyans

Hybodontiformes, commonly called hybodonts, are an extinct group of shark-like cartilaginous fish (chondrichthyans) which existed from the late Devonian to the Late Cretaceous. Hybodonts share a close common ancestry with modern sharks and rays (Neoselachii) as part of the clade Euselachii. They are distinguished from other chondrichthyans by their distinctive fin spines and cephalic spines present on the heads of males. An ecologically diverse group, they were abundant in marine and freshwater environments during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic, but were rare in open marine environments by the end of the Jurassic, having been largely replaced by modern sharks, though they were still common in freshwater and marginal marine habitats. They survived until the end of the Cretaceous, before going extinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fish fin</span> Bony skin-covered spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish

Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the spine and are supported only by muscles.

Dwykaselachus is an extinct genus of symmoriiform, a cartilaginous fish that lived in what is now South Africa during the Permian period around 280 million years ago. It was first discovered in the 1980s, in a nodule of sediments from the Karoo Supergroup. Dwykaselachus was named based on Dwyka Group, the group of sedimentary geological formation in the southeastern part of Africa. It represents the place where the type species Dwykaselachus oosthuizeni was found.

<i>Plesioselachus</i> Extinct genus of cartilaginous fishes

Plesioselachus is an extinct genus of Late Devonian (Famennian) cartilaginous fish with uncertain classification, which contains only one species, P. macracanthus from the Waterloo Farm lagerstätte in South Africa. Known from a single incomplete articulated skeleton and some isolated remains, it is characterized by having a long dorsal spine with length about one third of body length.

<i>Squatinactis</i> Extinct genus of cartilaginous fishes

Squatinactis is a genus of extinct elasmobranch chondrichthyan known from the Carboniferous aged Bear Gulch Limestone in Montana. This fish was discovered in 1974 by Richard Lund. The type specimen, named CMNH 46133, consists of a brain case, poorly preserved jaws and gills, a pectoral fin, and a partial vertebral axis. This creatures most startling feature were its broad pectoral fins which resembled those of stingrays and angel sharks (Squatina). The holotype specimen has about 15 teeth in its jaw. This creature is named after the angel shark. Remains found in the South Urals of Russia and the Eyam Limestone of Derbyshire, England, have been tentatively identified as those belonging to S. caudispinatus.

Cosmoselachus is an extinct genus of symmoriiform chondrichthyan from the Upper Carboniferous aged Fayetteville Shale of Arkansas, United States. The genus contains a single species, C. mehlingi, which is known from a partial specimen that includes the cranium, jaws, gill arches, pectoral fins, and teeth.

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