Onchosaurus

Onchosaurus is an extinct genus of sclerorhynchid sawfish from the Late Cretaceous (84.9 to 66.043 million years ago). Its fossils have been found in the Cretaceous sediments of Egypt, Morocco, France, Niger, Peru and the United States.[1]

Onchosaurus
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 84.9–66.043 Ma
Fossil vertebrae of Onchosaurus marocanus from Khouribga (Morocco)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Rajiformes
Family: †Sclerorhynchidae
Genus: †Onchosaurus
Gervais, 1852
Type species
†Onchosaurus radicalis
Gervais, 1852
Species
  • †O. marocanus Arambourg, 1935
  • †O. pharao (Dames, 1887)
  • †O. radicalis Gervais. 1852 (type species)
Synonyms
  • Gigantichthys? Dames, 1887
  • Onchosaurus maroccanus Arambourg, 1935 (sic)

Description

These sclerorhynchiform sawfishes are only known by isolated vertebra and rostral spines. On the basis of fossil findings they are considered large, bottom-dwelling fishes, mainly inhabiting shallow marine habitats, but they were also powerful swimmers.[2]

Species

Species within this genus include:[1][3][4]

  • Onchosaurus marocanus Arambourg, 1935
  • Onchosaurus pharao (Dames, 1887)
  • Onchosaurus radicalis Gervais, 1852

References
  1. Fossilworks
  2. Jürgen Kriweta, Stefanie Klug Presence of the extinct sawfish, Onchosaurus (Neoselachii, Sclerorhynchiformes) in the Late Cretaceous of Peru with a review of the genus
  3. ARAMBOURG, C. (1935) Note préliminaire sur les vertébrés fossiles des phosphates du Maroc. Bulletin de la Société géologique de France, 5 (5): 413–439, 2 fig., 2 pl.
  4. George S. Williams A Listing of Fossil Sharks and Rays of the World


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