Caucasochasma is an extinct genus of basking sharks that lived during the Oligocene. It contains one species, C. zherikhini. It is known from a mostly-complete skeleton from the Pshekha Formation of Russia. It has a body plan more similar to sand sharks than to extant basking sharks, which indicates that it was a benthic filter feeder.[1]
Caucasochasma Temporal range:
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Subdivision: | Selachimorpha |
Order: | Lamniformes |
Family: | Cetorhinidae |
Genus: | †Caucasochasma Prokofiev & Sychevskaya, 2018[1] |
Species: | †C. zherikhini
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Binomial name | |
†Caucasochasma zherikhini Prokofiev & Sychevskaya, 2018
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References
edit- ^ a b Prokofiev, A.M.; Sychevskaya, E.K. (2018). "Basking shark (Lamniformes: Cetorhinidae) from the lower Oligocene of the Caucasus". Journal of Ichthyology. 58 (2): 127–138. Bibcode:2018JIch...58..127P. doi:10.1134/S0032945218020121. S2CID 255271640.