Orodus

Life restoration of O. micropterygius

Orodus Temporal range: Famennian–Pennsylvanian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fossil specimen (FMNH PF 2201) of O. greggi, Field Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Holocephali
Order:	†Orodontiformes
Family:	†Orodontidae De Koninck 1878
Genus:	†Orodus Agassiz, 1838
Valid species (per Ginter et al. 2010)
†O. cinctus Agassiz 1838 †O. elongatus Davis, 1883 †O. greggi Zangerl, 1981 †O. mammillaris , Newberry and Worthen, 1866 †O. micropterygius Zangerl, 1981 †O. ramosus Zangerl, 1981 †O. variocostatus St. John and Worthen, 1875
Synonyms
Oreodon

Orodus (from Greek: ωραίος oraíos, 'beautiful' and Greek: ὀδούς odoús 'tooth')[1] is an extinct genus of orodontiform cartilaginous fish. Fossils are known from the late Devonian to Late Carboniferous of Europe, Asia and North America. Most species are only known from their rounded, ridge covered teeth, designed for crushing prey (durophagy). The genus has a long and complicated taxonomic history, and numerous species have been assigned to the genus that are now either considered invalid or unrelated to true orodontids. Two species, O. greggi and O. micropterygius from the Carboniferous of North America are known from remains preserving the body.[2] O. greggi reached around 2–4 metres (6.6–13.1 ft) long, while O. micropterygius just reached 1 metre (3.3 ft).[2][3] These remains show that these species of Orodus lacked fin spines on their dorsal fins, and that they had small pectoral fins, and that the morphology of the teeth varied depending on their position in the mouth.[2] Orodus was considered to be the only member of the family Orodontidae by Ginter et al. 2010. Like other orodontiforms, the closest living relatives of Orodus are thought to be chimaeras.[2]

References

1. Roberts, George (1839). An etymological and explanatory dictionary of the terms and language of geology. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans. p. 126. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
2. Ginter, M., Hampe, O., and Duffin, C.J., 2010, Chondrichthyes. Paleozoic Elasmobranchii: teeth, in Schultze, H.-P., ed., Handbook of Paleoichthyology, v. 3D: München, Friedrich Pfeil, pp. 109-117
3. Signor, Philip W.; Brett, Carlton E. (1984). "The mid-Paleozoic precursor to the Mesozoic marine revolution". Paleobiology. 10 (2): 229–245. doi:10.1017/S0094837300008174. ISSN 0094-8373.

Sources

• Wildlife of Gondwana: Dinosaurs and Other Vertebrates from the Ancient Supercontinent (Life of the Past) by Pat Vickers Rich, Thomas Hewitt Rich, Francesco Coffa, and Steven Morton
• Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives (Marine Biology) by Jeffrey C. Carrier, John A. Musick, and Michael R. Heithaus
• Kansas Geology: An Introduction to Landscapes, Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils by Rex Buchanan
• Major Events in Early Vertebrate Evolution (Systematics Association Special Volume) by Per Erik Ahlberg

External links

• Orodus in the Paleobiology Database