Description

Description Anterior teeth with erect triangular, broad-based main cusp. Main cusp bi-convex, with smooth, continuous cutting edges extending from apex to base of crown and across lateral cusplets. Lingual crown face strongly convex, smooth; labial face flat to slightly convex, smooth. Single pair of relatively large, sharply pointed, medially curving cusplets. Anterolateral teeth with less symmetrical main cusp, and cusplets becoming wider and often two pairs developed. Root bilobate, with elongate, rounded, diverging lobes separated by V-shaped interlobe area; deep nutritive groove present on pronounced lingual root boss. Lateral teeth with broadly triangular, distally inclined main cusp that is labiolingually thinner than anterior teeth. Continuous cutting edges along main cusp, extending to main cusp base and across lateral cusplets; mesial edge straight to convex, whereas distal edge straight to slightly concave. Lingual crown face moderately convex, smooth; labial face flat with faint vertical wrinkling at crown base on some specimens. Two pairs of lateral cusplets generally present, with a third vestigial distal cusplet occasionally observed. All cusplets distally inclined, with first pair always larger than second pair, and first distal cusplet usually conspicuously larger than the mesial one. Mesial edge of largest cusplets usually convex, distal edge straight. Base of cusplets on some teeth are positioned labial to the cutting edge of the main cusp. Root lobes short, angular, strongly divergent, separated by shallow V-shaped interlobe area. Conspicuous nutritive groove on lingual root boss.

Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Elasmobranchii

Order: Lamniformes

Family: Odontaspididae

Genus: Tethylamna

Species: Tethylamna spec Cappetta & Case, 2016