September 2025: publication Cretaceous Research
Hybodont shark remains from Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) continental deposits of southern France
The hybodont shark (Elasmobranchii, Hybodontiformes) material from the Campanian of two non-marine localities in southern France are described. Some teeth and a dorsal fin spine from the upper Campanian of Velaux are assigned to the genus Meristodonoides (Hybodontidae), whereas a single tooth from the lower Campanian of Villeveyrac is referred to Parvodus (Lonchidiidae), a genus hitherto unknown in the Upper Cretaceous. Among the latest Cretaceous continental ichthyofaunas of the European archipelago, hybodont sharks may have been minor relictual components with spatially restricted distributions, as suggested by their scarcity in the fossil assemblages from France and Romania combined with their apparent absence in other areas (Iberian Peninsula, Hungary).
Fig. 2. Photographs of Meristodonoides aff. montanensis teeth from the upper Campanian of Velaux–la Bastide Neuve. A–C, MMS/VBN.09.45a, in labial (A), lingual (B) and mesial (C) views. D–F, MMS/VBN.02.B9.01, in labial (D), lingual (E) and apical (F) views. Scale bars equal 5 mm.
eferences
Valentin X., Vullo R., Cuny R., Jansen O., Garcia G. 2025 – Hybodont shark remains from Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) continental deposits of southern France – Cretaceous Research 177 (2026) – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106205