Help with Dogfish identification

[abyssunder]

Mesiteia emiliae (GORJANOVIC-KRAMBERGER, 1886) is a good match. https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/list?genus=Mesiteia&nomenclaturalCode=ICZN&collectionCode=f

 

[bgreenstone]

Thanks for the help, everyone!  I couldn't have figured this out without your help!

 

-Brian

[Al Dente]

If this is Mesiteia it is a rare find. According to Cappetta, only two specimens are known. Of course that just means two are in museum collections. There could be many more in private collections. Here is a clipping from Cappetta-

 

 

[Fruitbat]

I'm having a heck of a time finding any literature that references the genus Mesiteia.  Anybody have any links?

 

-Joe

[Kane]

It's scant, but there is mention on page 163: http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/38568317/Kirkland_et_al_2013_Cret_fw_elasmobranchs_so._Utah.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEA&Expires=1475075803&Signature=H06WDPlWJaehSP6Dki2FPMZPLDU%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B filename%3DElasmobranchs_from_Upper_Cretaceous_Fres.pdf

 

If the link fails, just google "Elasmobranchs from Upper Cretaceous Freshwater Facies in Southern Utah" by James I. Kirkland, Jeffrey G. Eaton, and Donald B. Brinkman

[abyssunder]

Mesiteia emiliae according to J. Herman 1975 belongs to Mesiteia.
J. Herman. 1975. Les Selaciens de sterrains neocretaces and paleocenes de Belgique and des contrees limitrophes Elements d'une biostratigraphie intercontinentale. Memoires pour servier a l'explications des Cartes geologiques et minieres de la Belgique 15:1-401 http://www.vliz.be/en/imis?module=ref&refid=220608
Pages 146-152 of the document, in French

 

[bgreenstone]

Finally built a frame for it and got it hung on a wall.

 

[Max-fossils]

Wow, amazing frame! I must say, I am absolutely amazed by the beauty of that fossil plate

 

Anyways, congrats on acquiring such a cool fossil, it seems like it was your lucky day!

And having read all the previous comments, it seems to be very rare, actually museum-worth! I am kind of jealous!

 

Warm regards,

 

Max

[siteseer]

On September 28, 2016 at 7:12 AM, Fruitbat said:

I'm having a heck of a time finding any literature that references the genus Mesiteia.  Anybody have any links?

 

-Joe

 

 

Hi Joe,

 

I've been back home for over a week now and have had a chance to look through my files.  This article is an overview of the sharks from that deposit:

 

CAPPETTA, H. (1980)
Les Sélaciens du Crétacé supérieur du Liban.  I. Requins.  Palaeontographica, Abt. A, 168 (1-4): 69-148, 33 fig., 24 pl.

 

The article is in French.  Part II covers the batoids:

 

CAPPETTA, H. (1980)
Les Sélaciens du Crétacé supérieur du Liban.  II.  Batoïdes. Palaeontographica, Abt. A, 168 (5-6): 149-229, 26 fig., 21 pl.

 

Finding a good run of Palaeontographica can be tough.  The USGS office in Menlo Park, CA used to have a complete run but some genius in government decided the USGS doesn't need a science library and almost everything was either sold, shipped off, or recycled.  The other thing about Palaeontographica is that you might assume you can order a back issue for a reasonable price.  No, it's about $300 and even the authors don't get a PDF of their articles.  Fortunately, I photocopied both articles though the plates are about average.  I neglected to get a better copy of those after the USGS switched over to a higher-quality copier.  I was able to copy a few other articles just before they got rid of the run - simply ran out of time.

 

After looking at the photos, I'd have to agree that it is Mesiteia, and for a rare shark, the specimen appears to be an even rarer side view.  That pectoral fin threw me off because it looked like it was structured like a maneuvering fin which is what I wrongly assumed of an eel.  I forgot that there was at least one orectolobiform there and at least a few of them, even today, that live along the bottom and can crawl or at least hold themselves stationary against a current with their pectoral fins.

 

Jess

[rocket]

there is an offer in the net, should be Mesiteia

but, what do you think? Anguillavus?