Hemipristis

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Hemipristis
Temporal range: Middle Eocene–Recent[1]
Hemipristis elongata csiro-nfc.jpg
Snaggletooth shark (H. elongata)
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Superorder: Selachimorpha
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Hemigaleidae
Genus: Hemipristis
Agassiz, 1843
Type species
Hemipristis elongata
Klunzinger, 1871

Hemipristis (from Greek: ἡμι hēmi, 'half' and Greek: πρίστης prístēs 'saw')[2] is a genus of weasel sharks, family Hemigaleidae. It contains one extant species, the snaggletooth shark (H. elongata) and several extinct species.

Hemipristis has two distinct types of teeth in each section of its jaw. The ones on the upper jaw act as knives, cutting through the flesh of the prey, while the pointed ones on the bottom act as forks, spearing the prey and holding it down. Because this shark was poorly studied in the past and its top and bottom jaw teeth differ to such a great degree, its top and lower jaw teeth were assigned to a separate genus in the past.

Species[]

  • Hemipristis elongata (Klunzinger, 1871)
  • †Hemipristis curvatus
  • †Hemipristis serra - An extinct species from the Oligocene-Miocene of Florida, South Carolina, and other areas on the Atlantic coast.[3]

See also[]

  • List of prehistoric cartilaginous fish

References[]

  1. ^ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  2. ^ Roberts, George (1839). An etymological and explanatory dictionary of the terms and language of geology. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans. p. 76. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  3. ^ Portell, R.W.; Hubbell, G.; Donovan, S.K.; Green, J.L.; Harper, D.A.T.; Pickerill, R. (2008). "Miocene sharks in the Kendeace and Grand Bay formations of Carriacou, The Grenadines, Lesser Antilles". Caribbean Journal of Science. 44 (3): 279–286.
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