Squatiniformes is an order of sharks belonging to Squalomorphii. It contains only a single living genus Squatina, commonly known as angelsharks. The oldest genus of the order, Pseudorhina is known from the Late Jurassic of Europe.[1] Three other genera, Cretasquatina, Cretascyllium and Parasquatina are known from Cretaceous fossils from North America and Europe,[2][3] though the placement of Parasquatina in the order has been questioned.[1] All living and extinct members of the order share a similar body morphology[2] with a highly flattened body with enlarged pectoral and pelvic fins suggestive of a bottom-dwellingambush predator ecology.[4] Teeth have been assigned to the modern genus from the Late Jurassic onwards, but the actual genus assignment of many of these species is unclear.[2] The earliest records that can be assigned with confidence to the modern genus are known from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) of England.[1]
^Guinot, Guillaume; Underwood, Charlie J.; Cappetta, Henri; Ward, David J. (2012-05-11). "Squatiniformes (Chondrichthyes, Neoselachii) from the Late Cretaceous of southern England and northern France with redescription of the holotype of Squatina cranei Woodward, 1888". Palaeontology. 55 (3): 529–551. Bibcode:2012Palgy..55..529G. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01140.x. ISSN0031-0239. S2CID129829100.
