Asteracanthus - A Prehistoric Genus of Hybodontiform Shark That First Appeared In The Middle Jurassic Epoch (Jurassic Period)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzSoDTgUoRw&ab_channel=SkepticSalamander

[VD231991]

A publication came out last year redefining the genus Asteracanthus as regarding its defining morphological characteristics:

Stumpf, S., López-Romero, F.A., Kindlimann, R., Lacombat, F., Pohl, B. and Kriwet, J., 2021. A unique hybodontiform skeleton provides novel insights into Mesozoic chondrichthyan life. Papers in Palaeontology 7: 1479-1505. https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1350

The paper demonstrates that the synonymy of Strophodus with Asteracanthus based on the similarities of dorsal fin spines associated with crushing teeth found in the Oxford Clay Formation of southern England to the dorsal fin spines that were named Asteracanthus ornatissimus did not hold water because the specimen from Germany referred to Asteracanthus ornatissimus by Stumpf et al. differs from the type species of Strophodus in having multicusped teeth. Although a number of isolated remains from the Middle Jurassic are for the moment referred to Asteracanthus ornatissimus, an undescribed specimen from the lower Kimmeridge Clay Formation of England may shed more light on the morphology of Asteracanthus (Underwood 2020).

Underwood, C.J., 2020. Sharks and rays. pp. 14-32. In: Fossils of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation. Vol. 2: Vertebrate Palaeontology. Martill, D.M., Etches, S., Eds.; Field Guide to Fossils 16; Palaeontological Association: London, UK.