Search results for "Otodontidae"
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Biomechanical insights into the dentition of megatooth sharks (Lamniformes: Otodontidae)
2021
AbstractThe evolution of gigantism in extinct otodontid sharks was paralleled by a series of drastic modifications in their dentition including widening of the crowns, loss of lateral cusplets, and acquisition of serrated cutting edges. These traits have generally been interpreted as key functional features that enabled the transition from piscivory to more energetic diets based on marine mammals, ultimately leading to the evolution of titanic body sizes in the most recent forms (including the emblematic Otodus megalodon). To investigate this hypothesis, we evaluate the biomechanics of the anterior, lateral, and posterior teeth of five otodontid species under different loading conditions by…
Body dimensions of the extinct giant shark Otodus megalodon: a 2D reconstruction
2020
AbstractInferring the size of extinct animals is fraught with danger, especially when they were much larger than their modern relatives. Such extrapolations are particularly risky when allometry is present. The extinct giant shark †Otodus megalodon is known almost exclusively from fossilised teeth. Estimates of †O. megalodon body size have been made from its teeth, using the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) as the only modern analogue. This can be problematic as the two species likely belong to different families, and the position of the †Otodus lineage within Lamniformes is unclear. Here, we infer †O. megalodon body dimensions based on anatomical measurements of five ecologically…
A New Species ofTelenomusHaliday (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) Associated with Egg Batches of the Pine Processionary Moth,Thaumetopoea pityocampa(Dennis…
2009
Telenomus thaumetopoeae Buhl sp. n. is described from northeastern València (Peninsular Spain) taking as starting point females parasitizing the egg-batches of the Pine Processionary Moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Dennis et Schiffermüller, 1775). Its morphological affinities with the most closely related species and parasitism data are offered.