Maghriboselache

Maghriboselache is a genus of symmoriiform cladoselachid fish that lived 365 million years ago during the Late Devonian period (early to middle Famennian stage) of Morocco. Currently, the only known species of this genus is Maghriboselache mohmezanei (M. mohmezanei).

Maghriboselache
Temporal range:
Life restoration of Maghriboselache in its environment of Late Devonian Morocco
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: †Cladoselachiformes
Family: †Cladoselachidae
Genus: †Maghriboselache
Christian et al, 2023
Type species
Maghriboselache mohamezanei
Christian et al, 2023

This genus is the first cladoselachid to be discovered with substantial details on the jaws, braincase and event the endocranial detail. The genus along with Cladoselache shares a unique and distinctive tooth morphology and upper jaw morphology.[1]

Description

The genus so far has multiple preserved fossil specimens preserving most of its skeletal features. Some instances of theses fossils also have been preserved in 3 dimensions. It is unique from other cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) due to its broad snout and nostril placement.[2]

The genus has distally broad, flat and strap like radial pectoral fins (fish fin) and a cleaver shaped palatoquadrate with optic process shorter than palatine process.

Teeth

Maghriboselache's tooth fossils are only partially visible. Its teeth has tall median cusp which are flanked by smaller lateral cusp toothed base with a deep basolabial depression which are also flanked by adjacent projections. The teeth on the Meckels's cartilage of this genera are nearly equally distanced with a 10% gap between each teeth.[3]

Size

The average estimated length of this genus is between 0.8 meters and 2.5 meters in length. This measurement is based on both complete and incomplete fossils found of this genus.

Taxonomy

Maghriboselache and Cladoselache are monophyletic sisters to either all other total-group holocephalans or to symmoriids.[4]

Discovery

Maghriboselache was discovered in the eastern parts of the Anti-Atlas mountain range. Most fossils of this genus were found in the thylacicephalan layer. The genus was described by Klug, Coates, Frey, Greif, Jobbins, Pohle, Lagnaoui, Haouz and Ginter in 2023.[5]

Naming

The species Maghriboselache mohmezanei was named this way due to the great abundance of Thylacocephalan arthropods present.[6]

References
  1. Klug, Christian; Coates, Michael; Frey, Linda; Greif, Merle; Jobbins, Melina; Pohle, Alexander; Lagnaoui, Abdelouahed; Haouz, Wahiba Bel; Ginter, Michal (2023-03-28). "Broad snouted cladoselachian with sensory specialization at the base of modern chondrichthyans". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 142 (1): 2. doi:10.1186/s13358-023-00266-6. ISSN 1664-2384.
  2. Klug, Christian; Coates, Michael; Frey, Linda; Greif, Merle; Jobbins, Melina; Pohle, Alexander; Lagnaoui, Abdelouahed; Haouz, Wahiba Bel; Ginter, Michal (2023-03-28). "Broad snouted cladoselachian with sensory specialization at the base of modern chondrichthyans". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 142 (1): 2. doi:10.1186/s13358-023-00266-6. ISSN 1664-2384.
  3. Klug, Christian; Coates, Michael; Frey, Linda; Greif, Merle; Jobbins, Melina; Pohle, Alexander; Lagnaoui, Abdelouahed; Haouz, Wahiba Bel; Ginter, Michal (2023-03-28). "Broad snouted cladoselachian with sensory specialization at the base of modern chondrichthyans". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 142 (1): 2. doi:10.1186/s13358-023-00266-6. ISSN 1664-2384.
  4. Klug, Christian; Coates, Michael; Frey, Linda; Greif, Merle; Jobbins, Melina; Pohle, Alexander; Lagnaoui, Abdelouahed; Haouz, Wahiba Bel; Ginter, Michal (2023-03-28). "Broad snouted cladoselachian with sensory specialization at the base of modern chondrichthyans". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 142 (1): 2. doi:10.1186/s13358-023-00266-6. ISSN 1664-2384.
  5. "Extinct - valid species | Species | Shark-References". shark-references.com. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  6. Klug, Christian; Coates, Michael; Frey, Linda; Greif, Merle; Jobbins, Melina; Pohle, Alexander; Lagnaoui, Abdelouahed; Haouz, Wahiba Bel; Ginter, Michal (2023-03-28). "Broad snouted cladoselachian with sensory specialization at the base of modern chondrichthyans". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 142 (1): 2. doi:10.1186/s13358-023-00266-6. ISSN 1664-2384.
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