A late Maastrichtian selachian assemblage from the Peedee Formation of North Carolina, USA.

Abstract

A diverse selachian fauna was collected from the Island Creek Member of the Peedee Formation at Castle Hayne, New Hanover County, North Carolina, USA. This inner neritic assemblage consists of 23 species from 20 genera, 17 families and eight orders and includes the new species Ptychotrygon clementsi sp. nov. The dentitions of a few, large, macrophagous species with large palaeobiogeographical ranges is described. However, the majority of the reported specimens belong to relatively small species that are endemic to the southern regions of the Western Interior Seaway and the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal plains of North America.

A description of a middle Campanian euselachian assemblage from the Bladen Formation of North Carolina, USA.

“…The overall morphology of UALVP 58781 largely conforms to that of Dasyatis commercensis originally described by Case and Cappetta (1997) from the late Maastrichtian of Texas and subsequently reported from the Maastrichtian of North Carolina (Case et al 2017) and Arkansas (Becker et al 2006). However, this specimen has an alveolar ornamentation somewhat reminiscent of the extant D. margarita (Günther, 1870), rather than a more pit-like enameloid.…”

“…reported from Albian-Maastrichtian deposits on both sides of the Atlantic (see Cappetta 2012;Case et al 2017). The overall morphology UALVP 58778 including the number of transverse ridges, is similar to that of Ptychotrygon vermiculata, originally described from the early Maastrichtian of New Jersey (Cappetta 1975).…”

“…Remarks: Similar to Squalicorax kaupi, S. pristodontus had a wide paleobiogeographical range, being reported from Campanian-Maastrichtian deposits of Europe, Africa, and South America (see Cappetta 2012). North American reports include the Western Interior Seaway (e.g., Welton and Farish 1993;Case and Cappetta 1997;Shimada and Cicimurri 2006) and the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains (e.g., Cappetta and Case 1975;Case et al 2017;Harrell et al 2016). The tooth of S. pristodontis described by Crane (2011) from the Bladen Formation is less damaged than that described here.…”

“…Remarks: This cosmopolitan species has been described from numerous Coniacian-Maastrichtian deposits on both sides of the Atlantic (see Cappetta 2012). In North America, Squalicorax kaupi has been reported from the Western Interior Seaway (e.g., Welton and Farish 1993;Cappetta and Case 1999;Shimada and Cicimurri 2006) and the Atlantic (e.g., Cappetta and Case 1975;Case et al 2001Case et al , 2017 and Gulf (e.g., Becker et al 2006 Referred Material: UALVP 58772, incomplete lateral tooth. Description: The crown contains a broad median cusp that is distally inclined.…”

“…Deposits along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of North America are a rich source of Late Cretaceous euselachian fossil dentitions (e.g., Cappetta and Case 1975;Lauginiger 1984; Case and Schwimmer 1988;Case 1991;Becker et al 1998;Cicimurri 2007;Case et al 2017). The Bladen Formation of North Carolina has produced a relatively diverse shark and ray fauna.…”