| Helodus Temporal range: Upper Devonian-Lower Permian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N | |
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| Life reconstruction of Helodus simplex | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Order: | †Helodontiformes |
| Family: | †Helodontidae |
| Genus: | †Helodus Agassiz, 1838 |
| Type species | |
| Helodus simplex Agassiz, 1838 | |
Helodus (from Greek: ἧλος helos, 'stud' and Greek: ὀδούς odoús 'tooth') is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish from the Upper Devonian through Lower Permian. While the type species, H. simplex is known from an articulated specimen, the rest of the species in this genus are known entirely from isolated teeth. Over twenty species have been attributed to this genus, many of which may be anterior teeth of other cartilaginous fish. This makes Helodus a wastebasket taxon. For this reason, only the type species can be confidently attributed to this genus until articulated remains of other species are found. H. simplex was around 30 centimeters (1 foot) long.
References
- Roberts, George (1839). An etymological and explanatory dictionary of the terms and language of geology. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans. p. 76. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ^ Arno Hermann Müller: Textbook of paleozoology. Volume III, Vertebrates, Part 1. Gustav Fischer Verlag, 1985.
- ^ Itano, W.M., Lambert, L.L. A new cochliodont anterior tooth plate from the Mississippian of Alabama (USA) having implications for the origin of tooth plates from tooth files. Zoological Lett 4, 12 (2018). doi:10.1186/s40851-018-0097-8
- "Extinct - complete list | Species | Shark-References". shark-references.com. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Helodus | |
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