Sclerorhynchus (from
Greek: σκληρόςscleros, 'hard' and
Greek: ῥύγχοςrhynchos 'snout') is an extinct genus of
ganopristidsclerorhynchoid that lived during the
Late Cretaceous. The genus Ganopristis is considered a junior synonym of Sclerorhynchus.[8][9] It was a widespread genus, with fossils found in the
Middle East (S. atavus, S. karakensis),
North Africa (S. leptodon),
Europe (S. leptodon), and
North America (S. fanninensis, S. pettersi, S. priscus). While it had a long
rostrum with large
denticles similar to
sawfishes and
sawsharks, its closest living relatives are actually
skates.[10] Complete specimens of S. atavus show that its fin arrangement was similar to skates, with the pectoral and pelvic fins touching, both dorsal fins located behind the pelvic fins, and a reduced caudal fin.[11]
^Woodward, A.S. (1889). Catalogue of the Fossil Fishes in the British Museum (Natural History). Part 1. Containing the Elasmobranchii. London: Trustees of the British Museum.
doi:10.5962/bhl.title.161983.
^Case, G.R.; Cappetta, H. (1997). "A new selachian fauna from the Late Maastrichtian of Texas (Upper Cretaceous/Navarro Group; Kemp Formation)". Münchner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungen Reihe A: Geologie und Paläontologie. 34: 131–189.
^Mustafa, H.A.; Case, G.R.; Zalmout, I. (2002). "A new selachian fauna from the Wadi Umm Ghudran Formation (Late Cretaceous) - Central Jordan". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 226 (3): 419–444.
doi:
10.1127/njgpa/226/2002/419.
^Arambourg, C. (1940). "Le groupe des Ganopristinés". Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France. 5e série. 10 (3–6): 127–147.
doi:
10.2113/gssgfbull.S5-X.3-6.127.
^Albers, H.; Weiler, W. (1964). "Eine Fischfauna aus der oberen Kreide von Aachen und neuere Funde von Fischresten aus dem Maestricht des angrenzenden belgisch-holländischen Raumes". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 120: 1–33.
^Greenfield, T. (2021). "Corrections to the nomenclature of sawskates (Rajiformes, Sclerorhynchoidei)". Bionomina. 22 (1): 39–41.
doi:
10.11646/bionomina.22.1.3.
S2CID239067365.
^Villalobos-Segura, E.; Kriwet, J.; Vullo, R.; Stumpf, S.; Ward, D.J.; Underwood, C.J. (2021). "The skeletal remains of the euryhaline sclerorhynchoid †Onchopristis (Elasmobranchii) from the 'Mid'-Cretaceous and their palaeontological implications". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 193 (2): 746–771.
doi:
10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa166.
^Cappetta, H. (1980). "Les Sélaciens du Crétacé supérieur du Liban. II. Batoïdes". Palaeontographica, Abteilung A. 168 (5–6): 149–229.