''Striatolamia'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

belonging to the family Odontaspididae.Fossilworks
/ref> These extinct sharks lived from the

Early Paleocene The Danian is the oldest age or lowest stage of the Paleocene Epoch or Series, of the Paleogene Period or System, and of the Cenozoic Era or Erathem. The beginning of the Danian (and the end of the preceding Maastrichtian) is at the Cret ...

Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million years ago) to 5.333 Ma. The ...

(61.7 to 10.3 Ma).

Etymology

The Latin genus name ''Striatolamia'' refers to the striations on the surface of the teeth.

Taxonomy

This genus had been assigned to families

Mitsukurinidae Mitsukurinidae is a family of sharks with one living genus, ''Mitsukurina'', and four fossil genera: ''Anomotodon'', '' Protoscapanorhynchus'', ''Scapanorhynchus'', and '' Woellsteinia'', though some taxonomists consider ''Scapanorhynchus'' to b ...

and Striatolamiidae by other authors.Jim Bourdo
Striatolamia - The Life and Times of Long Dead Sharks
/ref> Similar and related genera include ''

Carcharoides ''Carcharoides'' is an extinct genus of mackerel shark which lived during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs. It is a widespread genus, known from specimens in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. It is most common in the Europe ...

'', '' Parodontaspis'', '' Priodontaspis'', '' Pseudoisurus'' and '' Synodontaspis''.

Species

Species within this genus include: * ''Striatolamia macrota'' Agassiz 1843 * ''Striatolamia striata'' (Winkler 1874) * ''Striatolamia whitei'' (Arambourg, 1952)

Description

''Striatolamia'' species could reach a length of about . Its teeth are notably big and rather common in sediments. The anterior teeth have elongated crowns, with striations on the lingual face and small lateral cusplets. The lateral teeth are smaller and broader, with weaker striations.Squali
/ref> ''S. macrota'' anterior teeth have smaller roots than ''S. striata'', and they are often recurved. Another difference between these two species is the length of their teeth. Teeth of ''striata'' are generally smaller () than ''macrota'' ().

Distribution and habitat

Most widespread species of ''Striatolamia'' are ''S. striata'' and ''S. macrota''. Fossil teeth and calcified vertebrae of ''Striatolamia'' species have been found all over the world. These sharks lived in waters with low salinity.

References

External links

''Striatolamia macrota''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q861667 Odontaspididae Prehistoric shark genera Paleocene fish Eocene fish Oligocene fish Miocene fish Prehistoric fish of Australia Prehistoric fish of Africa Prehistoric fish of Asia Prehistoric fish of Europe Prehistoric fish of North America Prehistoric fish of South America Eocene animals of South America Paleogene Chile Fossils of Chile Fossils of Great Britain Fossils of England Prehistoric fish of Antarctica Fossil taxa described in 1964