4 small jaw fragments??, Id help

[ilzho]

Here are 4 very small jaw fragments??, that I would like to see if anyone could ID for me. I realize they are very small, but any help is appreciated as always.

3 pics of each jaw.

Thank you,

David

 

[ynot]

The second piece looks very fishy to Me, the others could be fish also.

Tony

[Carl]

I see fish, too!

[Vieira]

I say fish for all...

[abyssunder]

The second one looks pretty close to a merlucciid jaw without teeth. Here is for example Merluccius cf bilinearis (Mitchill, 1814).

 

 

Fig 1 (color):  Merluccius cf bilinearis (Mitchill, 1814)
Silver hake  —  lower jaw
Lee Creek fauna, Aurora, NC

 

Fig 2 (black and white):  Merluccius cf bilinearis (Mitchill, 1814)
Silver hake  —  premaxilla
Lee Creek fauna, Aurora, NC

 

pictures taken from here

 

[ilzho]

Mine was found also at Lee Creek in Aurora, NC. Pcs phosphate mine. 

[abyssunder]

Then it is Merluccius cf bilinearis.

[abyssunder]

Those are very nice finds. The problem is determining what they could be from. I've suggested for one, but, if you try to complete, I'm sure you could find evidence for all of your finds here .

 

[ilzho]

Thank you for your/everyone's help.

 

I appreciate it. 

 

Now I just need to learn that website you referenced in searching for images.

[abyssunder]

Maybe, I was not clear enough with my previous post (sorry), try to make a shortcut to the full reference : http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/Paleobiology/sc_Browse.cfm?StartRow=92

 

†Merluccius bilinearis Mitchill 1814 (ray-finned fish)

 

Alternative combination: Stomodon bilinearis
Belongs to Merluccius according to R. W. Purdy et al. 2001
Sister taxon: Merluccius merluccius
Age range: 5.332 to 3.6 Ma
Distribution: found only at Lee Creek Mine, Yorktown Formation (Pliocene of North Carolina)

Full reference : R. W. Purdy, V. P. Schneider, S. P. Applegate, J. H. McLellan, R. L. Meyer and B. H. Slaughter. 2001. The Neogene sharks, rays, and bony fishes from Lee Creek Mine, Aurora, North Carolina. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 90:71-202

 

Finally (to make the things better), here is an excerpt from the referred comprehensive and excellent document :

 

" REMARKS.•The Lee Creek Mine specimens are identical to those of Merluccius bilinearis. The presence of biserial teeth on both the dentary and premaxilla separates the genus Merluccius from all other gadiforms, which have single or multiple rows of teeth on the maxilla, dentary, or both. Although Merluccius differs from most gadoids in having a prognathous lower jaw (Rosen and Patterson, 1969), this feature is difficult to prove in unarticulated fossils.
In the Lee Creek dentaries, as in the extant Merluccius, the alveoli of the biserial tooth rows, which support medium-sized, triangular teeth, occupy approximately one-third of the depth of the dentary (Figure 66e,f). The tooth-row surface slants lingually so that the alveoli of the uppermost labial tooth row are higher than those of the lingual row. In the fossil specimens, the labial row of teeth is more securely attached to the dentary than is the lingual row of teeth, which is absent. On the ventral, lingual surface of the dentary, a ridge extends from a notch in the ventral edge of the symphysial end down the entire length of the dentary. The ridge is thickest just posterior to the notch and then thins abruptly. On the ventral, labial surface of the dentary, a large groove extends from above the ventral notch to the posterior end of the dentary. The largest of these incomplete dentaries measures 5.8 cm in length and 1.5 cm in depth at the symphysis.
In the premaxillae (Figure 66g,h) the lingual row of teeth originates at a slightly more dorsal elevation than does the labial row. The much shallower dorsoventral depth of the premaxillae gives the teeth, which are in the same size range as those of the dentaries, a larger appearance. At the symphysial end, the premaxilla flares out to form the slightly concave articular surface; on its lingual edge is a small process that articulates with the maxilla. The dorsal surface of the premaxilla is smooth and rounded, whereas the lingual and symphysial surfaces are sculptured.
The maxilla is edentulous (Figure 66i). Its symphysial end, which articulates with the symphysial end of the premaxilla, has an elongated internal process dorsal to the shallow groove that accepts the articular process of the premaxilla. The shallowness of this groove is unlike the glove-shaped socket found in the maxillae of other teleosts at Lee Creek Mine. Mesial to this shallow groove there is a process that extends toward the symphysis. The distal end of the maxilla is flattened on its ventral surface but with a slight concavity; the more mesial distal surface is smooth and rounded and has a half-oval cross section. "

 

Merluccius bilinearis:
e, USNM 476313, left dentary, external view;
f, same specimen, internal view;
g, USNM 476326, right premaxilla, external view;
h, same specimen, occlusal view;
i, USNM 476363, partial maxilla, dorsal view.
(Scale bar= 1.0 cm.)

 

Thanks to the authors for this excellent work.