Edestidae

Extinct family of sharks

Edestidae Temporal range: 358.9–251.2 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Early Carboniferous to Early Triassic

Artist's reconstruction of Edestus heinrichi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Holocephali
Order:	†Eugeneodontida
Clade:	†Edestoidea
Family:	†Edestidae Jaekel, 1899
Genera
†Edestus †Helicampodus †Lestrodus †Parahelicampodus †Syntomodus †Euctenius †Prospiraxis †Protopirata †Metaxyacanthus †Spiraxis

The Edestidae are a poorly known, extinct family of shark-like eugeneodontid holocephalid cartilaginous fish.

Similar to the related family Helicoprionidae, members of this family possessed a unique "tooth-whorl" on the symphysis of the lower jaw and pectoral fins supported by long radials. In addition to having a tooth-whorl on the lower jaw, at least one species of the genus Edestus had a second tooth-whorl in the upper jaw. The palatoquadrate was either fused to the skull or reduced. Edestids, along with the rest of the Eugeneodontida, are placed within the subclass Holocephali.^[1] The family disappeared in the Early Triassic.^[2]

References

^ Tapanila, L.; Pruitt, J.; Pradel, A.; Wilga, C.; Ramsay, J.; Schlader, R.; Didier, D. (2013). "Jaws for a spiral-tooth whorl: CT images reveal novel adaptation and phylogeny in fossil Helicoprion". Biology Letters. 9 (2). doi:10.1098/rsbl.2013.0057. PMC 3639784. PMID 23445952. S2CID 6131252.
^ Scheyer, Torsten M.; Romano, Carlo; Jenks, Jim; Bucher, Hugo (19 March 2014). "Early Triassic Marine Biotic Recovery: The Predators' Perspective". PLOS ONE. 9 (3): e88987. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...988987S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0088987. PMC 3960099. PMID 24647136.

External links

Palaeos Vertebrates 70.100 Chondrichthyes: Eugnathostomata Paleos.com at paleos.com
JSTOR: Journal of PaleontologyVol. 70, No. 1 (Jan., 1996), pp. 162-165
Mikkk's phylogeny Archive