Fossil shark teeth of the genus Carcharocles (Elasmobranchii: Lamniformes) from the Middle Miocene at Kuzubukuro, Higashi-Matsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture, central Japan

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  • Yabe Hideo
    Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University
  • Goto Masatoshi
    Department of Anatomy, School of Dental Medicine, Tsurumi University

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  • 埼玉県東松山市葛袋の中部中新統から産出したCarcharocles属(板鰓亜綱:ネズミザメ目)の歯化石について
  • Fossil shark teeth of the genus Carchar

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Many fossil elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) have been obtained from the Middle Miocene Iwadono Formation, Kuzubukuro, Higashi-Matsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Earlier work described 16 genera and 31 species of elasmobranchs, however, identification was incomplete. We have recently studied the teeth of Carcharocles (Elasmobranchii: Lamniformes) from this locality. Based on the teeth morphology, such as regularly serrated cutting edges and cusplets pair absent, most specimens (fifty-three) agree with C. megalodon. Nine specimens resemble upper lateral teeth of C. megalodon, but at the same time differ in other features, such as outer shape, mesial cutting edge, distal cutting edge, apex of the cusp and serrations. As it is difficult to distinguish variation within a species from the lateral teeth, therefore, we tentatively identify the present specimens as Carcharocles sp. It can be inferred from the teeth size that most of the Carcharocles species may have been large nektonic fishes. Hence, there is a high possibility that additional specimens could be found from other localities, and enable us to recognize whether the variation shown by the present specimens are within the genus or are a different species.

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