Physogaleus contortus (Gibbes, 1849)

Höltke, Olaf, Salvador, Rodrigo B. & Rasser, Michael W., 2023, Trophic relationships in the Early Miocene Upper Marine Molasse of Baden-Württemberg, Southwest Germany, with special emphasis on the elasmobranch fauna, Palaeontologia Electronica (a 46) 26 (3), pp. 1-38 : 35

Physogaleus contortus (Gibbes, 1849)

Tooth type: Clutching.

The genus Physogaleus is extinct; that said, P. contortus might belong to the extant genus Galeocerdo J.P. Müller and Henle, 1837 (Kent, 1994; Purdy et al., 2001). We follow Reinecke et al. (2011) in assigning this extinct species to Physogaleus . In contrast to Galeocerdo teeth, the teeth of P. contortus have a weaker serration and a slenderer upper part of the crown (see also Bor et al., 2012). Another difference to Galeocerdo is the mesial cutting edge of the P. contortus teeth, which areslightly twisted in a lingual direction. The mentioned slenderer upper part of the crown in particular is most suitable for a diet more specialized on fish, and possibly cephalopods, in contrast to the omnivorous diet of Galeocerdo . The dental morphology of P. contortus matches the clutching type sensu Cappetta (2012) whereas the dentition of Galeocerdo matches the cutting type. The Teeth of P. contortus can be found in neritic sediments (Reinecke et al., 2011).