Denaea wangi Wang, Jin, and Wang, 2004
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.4202/app.00084.2014 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/251B879F-FFD9-FFAA-FF39-3606092AF817 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Denaea wangi Wang, Jin, and Wang, 2004 |
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Denaea wangi Wang, Jin, and Wang, 2004
Fig. 13A–D View Fig .
Material.—Seven teeth from upper Viséan of Todowa Grząba, north of Ostrówka Quarry, Gałęzice Region, Holy Cross Mountains, Poland (sample TG-D); ZPAL P.IV/222–224, MWGUW/Ps/7/6.
Description.—In the sample from Todowa Grząba there are rare finds of minute (0.4–0.7 mm mesio-distally), multicuspid asymmetrical teeth, identical to those named by Wang et al. (2004) as Denaea wangi based on their material from the Qilian Mountain in Gansu, China. The cusps (up to 11 in a row) are very delicate and smooth. The number of cusps present on either side of the median cusp differs (e.g., 2 and 5), and on the longer (distal?) side there is usually an accessory, smaller cusplet in the outermost position, toward which the median cusp is inclined ( Fig. 13A View Fig ). The base is very thin, lacking articulation devices. A shallow concavity usually occurs in place of the orolingual button ( Fig. 13B View Fig ).
Remarks.—Because of the small size and delicate construction of the teeth of D. wangi from Todowa Grząba and their much lower numbers in the sample than those of D. cf. fournieri, Ginter (2005) proposed that D. wangi might represent the juvenile teeth of D. cf. fournieri . This idea was strengthened by the observation made by Ginter in 2003 (personal observation) that the larger specimens of Damocles serratus (a falcatid from the Bear Gulch, Montana, USA) have simple, pentacuspid cladodont teeth, whereas the smaller, putative juvenile specimens of the same species have teeth of D. wangi morphotype (Ginter et al. 2010: fig. 59). The identification of the specimens of Damocles serratus was based on information from Rich-
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ard Lund and Eileen Grogan (personal communication 2003). However, two new facts seem to undermine Ginter’s concept. Firstly, in the rich collection from Royseux ( Derycke et al. 2005; Ivanov and Derycke 2005) there are numerous teeth of D. wangi and apparently no tooth of D. cf. fournieri . Secondly, R. Lund and E. Grogan (personal communication 2008) no longer consider the smaller individuals from Montana to be juveniles and conspecific with larger Damocles serratus : the claspers are fully grown in the smaller specimens and the head spine morphology differs substantially in the two species.
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At first this new information was ignored (see Ginter in Ginter et al. 2010: 65–66). However, after reconsideration, it seems possible that D. wangi is indeed a valid species which perhaps is conspecific, or at least closely related, to the shark formerly thought to be a young Damocles serratus . However, it is too early to decide the question as to which genus this species should be attributed— Denaea , Damocles , or a new one. The collection from Royseux and the specimens of the “small Damocles ” (e.g., CM 35472) need to be formally described and published before further discussion can take place.
Stratigraphic and geographic range.—Viséan of Gansu, China (Wang et al. 2004); upper Viséan of Belgium ( Ivanov and Derycke 2005), and the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland (this paper). Perhaps also Serpukhovian of Montana, USA (articulated specimens, Ginter et al. 2010).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.