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The Presence of Megachasma (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes) in the Neogene of Belgium, First Occurrence in Europe

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The Presence of Megachasma (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes) in the Neogene of Belgium, First Occurrence in Europe GEOLOGICA BELGICA (2009) 12/3-4: 179-203 THE PRESENCE OF MEGACHASMA (CHONDRICHTHYES: LAMNIFORMES) IN THE NEOGENE OF BELGIUM, FIRST OCCURRENCE IN EUROPE. Pieter DE SCHUTTER (8 figures, 2 tables and 12 plates) Averbeekstraat 23 bus 1.02, 1745 Opwijk, Belgium; e-mail: pieter.deschutter&skynet.be ABSTRACT: Fossil teeth of the genus A legachasma Taylor. Compagno & Struhsaker, 1983 are recorded for the first time in Europe. Isolated teeth have been recovered from the transgressive layer at the base of the Belgian Pliocene, extending the known paleogeographic range of this genus. These teeth are compared with fossil specimens from Greece, Chile, U SA and extant specimens. The Belgian teeth seem to fit well in the gap between the early Miocene teeth from California and those of the extant taxon Megachasma pelagios Taylor, Compagno & Struhsaker, 1983; while the megamouth teeth found in Late Miocene to Early Pliocene sediments worldwide (Chile, North Carolina, Florida, and Greece) appear to be giant versions of modem teeth. Juvenile teeth of modern ,\ legachasma pelagios are illustrated for the first time, showing a distinct ontogenetic variation in the roots and crown surface. KEYWORDS. Megachasmidae, Miocene, Pliocene, Kattendijk Formation, Deurganckdok, North Sea Basin. 1. Introduction only a very limited number of these wide-ranging sharks has been observed. For the last 30 years, the Antwerp harbour in northwest Belgimn lias rapidly expanded, exposing on many 2. Locality and stratigraphy occasions the basal gravel of the Kattendijk Fonnation (early Pliocene, Zanclean), famous for its richness in The majority of the Megachasma teeth were collected elasmobranch remains (Le Hon, 1871; Leriche, 1926; between 2001 and 2005 in the Deurganckdok, Doei, Hennan et aí., 1974; Hennan, 1979; Nolfi 1988). During Antwerp Harbour, located on the left bank of the river the last decades, similar temporary deposits have been Scheldt (Fig. 1). intensively sampled; however, megachasmid teeth were Miocene and Pliocene deposits are restricted to the never reported. Only during excavation of the northern part of the country and were deposited in a Deurganckdok in Antwerp, teeth of Megachasma were shallow marine enviromnent along the southern margin of recognised for the first time (Fig. 5; Plates 1-7), extending the North Sea Basin (Laga et al., 2001; De Schepper et the known paleogeographic range of this taxon. Another al., 2004). Only the early Pliocene Kattendijk Fonnation single tooth from the Miocene of Crete (Fig. 7) was was deposited in deeper water (Marquet, 2004). Due to incorrectly identified as a Hexanchus symphyseal (Keupp this perimarine enviromnent, the Miocene deposits in & Bellas, 2002). This brings the total of European records Belgium are discontinuous (e.g. Louwye et al., 2000). In to only two localities. the Antwerp area, the Miocene is divided into the Berchem From North America, Megachasma sp. has been Fonnation (Edegem Sand Member, Kiel Sand Member described from the Neogene of the Lee Creek Mine, North and Antwerpen Sand Member) and Diest Fonnation Carolina (Purdy et al., 2001) and very recently (Deume Sand Member) (De Meuter & Laga, 1976; Laga Megachasma comanchensis from the Cenomanian of et al, 2001). An early Burdigalian to Serravallian age is Colorado (Shimada, 2007). Megachasmid teeth have also attributed to the Berchem Fonnation (Louwye & Laga, been reported from the Late Oligocene or Early Miocene 2007) and a Tortonian age to the Diest Fonnation (Louwye, of southern California and central Oregon (Phillips et al, 2002). The Edegem Sand Member is unconfonnably 1976). In South America, Megachasma teeth have been overlyingthe early Oligocene (Rupelian) BoomFonnation. found in Chile (Walsh, 2001) and Mexico (González- The hiatus of about 10 Ma between these two units is Barba & Tifies, 2000). Modem Megachasma pelagios related to the late Oligocene tectonic uplift which affected was only discovered in 1976 and described by Taylor, northern Belgimn (Vandenberghe et al, 1998; Louwye et Compagno & Struhsaker (1983). Additional important al, 2000). papers have been written about the biology of this unusual Some general remarks can be made about the presence species (e.g. Compagno, 1990; Hennan et al, 1993; of selachian associations in the Miocene of the Antwerp Yabumoto et al, 1997; White et al, 2004). To this date. area. In contrast with the Pliocene, these have never been 180 P ie t e r DE SCHUTTER NORTH SEA Ghent Anlwerp R2 FRANCE BELGIUM Liège, Ka I lo Figure 1.Map of the Antwerp harbour with the Deurganckdok (1) and Doeldok (2). (Redrawn after Hennan & Marquet, 2007) extensively sampled; especially the smaller teeth were The Kattendijk Fonnation was introduced by de disregarded (Leriche, 1926). Only a very limited number Heinzelin (1955) as the lowennost part of the Pliocene in of shark teeth was found in the Late Miocene Deume the Antwerp area. A type locality is only vaguely defined Sand Member (Bosselaers et al., 2004). Although the (sunoundings of the Kattendijkdok, Amerikadok and Middle Miocene Antwerpen Sand Member has been Lefèbvredok). Type section is the outcrop of the known for 200 years (Hennan & Marquet 2007), the Verbindingsdok (see De Meuter & Laga, 1976:137). genus Megachasma was never reported from these sands. Vandenberghe et al. (1998) and Louwye et al. (2004) In the area, the Early Miocene Kiel Sand Member appears dated it as early Zanclean. Based on dinoflagellata cysts, to contain almost no fossils (De Meuter & Laga, 1976; the age of the Kattendijk Fonnation is about 5.0 Ma and Louwye eta!.. 2000); only few selachian teeth are reported 4.7-4.4 Ma (Louwye et al. 2004). The Kattendijk from this level (de Ceuster, 1987). The Early Miocene Fonnation consists mainly of glauconitic sands, scattered Edegem Sand Member contains shark teeth (De Meuter & or concentrated shells, with a gravel at its base (De Meuter Laga, 1976; Reinecke & Hoedemakers, 2006), present in & Laga, 1976) (Fig. 2). private collections, but also this faunal assemblage has The major transgression at the beginning of the never been published. Pliocene (Van Vliet-Lanoë et al., 2002) partially or even Figure 2.Detail of the gravel at the base of the Kattendijk Formation - in situ. (Picture: J. Hennan - 2000) The presence of M e g a c h a s m a in the Neogene of Belgium 181 completely eroded the Miocene sediments in the Antwerp thousand elasmobranch teeth. This paper includes all area. Marine vertebrate remains, sandstones and seven Megachasma specimens known to have been found phosphatic concretions combined with the black-green, on the left bank of the Scheldt River: one tooth (LA01, glauconitic sand, fonned the basal gravel of the Kattendijk Plate 7A-F) in situ and five other teeth in the displaced Fonnation. As the regional reduction of the Miocene sand that originated from the same large excavation (Fig. sediments was not unifonn, the fossil content of this 3). The seventh specimen (IRScNB P.8263, Plate 1A-F), gravel and its preservation may vary greatly. In the discovered in a private collection, was found in a similar Deurganckdok, the basal gravel of the Kattendijk harbour dock (Doeldok-1996) in mixed sediments Fonnation (Fig. 2) was at a depth of -19m75 DNG/TWA containing the same Kattendijk basal gravel. Additional (Hennan & Marquet, 2007) and located on top of the examples likely reside unrecognized in private Edegem Sand Member of the Berchem Fonnation (early collections. Burdigalian, Early Miocene), or immediately on the abraded top of the Oligocene (without intennediate IRScNB P.8263 (Plate 1A-F) represents a specimen with Miocene). Locally the Edegem Sand Member was covered a damaged distal root lobe, collected ex situ at Doei or incised by the Burdigalian Kiel Sand Member; neither (Doeldok) in 1996. of these deposits yielded selachian remains (Hennan & Marquet, 2007). Deurganckdok specimens The fossil content of the Pliocene basal gravel indicates BG01 (Plate 2A-G) - Beri Gijsen collection, ex situ that not only Miocene material is reworked into the gravel, Deurganckdok, Doei, 2005 but also Oligocene and even Eocene. The latter fossils are SP01 (Plate 3A-F) - Steven Piqueur collection, ex situ usually much abraded and often unidentifiable. The Deurganckdok, Doei, 2005 taphonomic condition of the Megachasma teeth is mainly JJ01 (Plate 4A-F) - Johan Janssen collection, ex situ good to excellent; this would appear to exclude an Eocene Deurganckdok, Doei, 2005 or Oligocene origin and more strongly suggests a Miocene JJ02 (Plate 5A-E) - Johan Janssen collection, ex situ or early Pliocene age for these Belgian Megachasma Deurganckdok, Doei, 2005 specimens. Attempting to be more specific is a difficult BD01 (Plate 6A-F) - Ben D ’Haese collection, ex situ task and highly speculative. The in situ specimen (LA01, Deurganckdok, Doei, 2005 Plate 7A-F) is heavily worn suggesting an age older than LA01 (Plate 7A-F) - Luc Anthonis collection, in situ the other Megachasma specimens and/or more extensive Deurganckdok, Doei, 2002 transportation. Due to the nature of these localities with the mixing of different horizons, it is possible that more than one chronomorphology is present in this basal Multiple specimens representing different locations and Pliocene gravel. An early Pliocene age for (some of) the horizons from various personal and public collections Megachasma teeth might be possible as the Zanclean were used for comparative purposes. transgression (Van Vliet-Lanoë et al., 2002) was the start of the deposition of the Kattendijk Fonnation in deeper DS01 (Plate 8A-F) - The author’s collection, Jewett Sand, water. Marquet (2004), based on bivalves, estimated the Pyramid Hill Sand Member, Temblor Fonnation, Kern bathymetry of the Kattendijk Fonnation at Doei and Kallo County, California, USA; one specimen (DS02) has some at 45 to 70m, diminishing in the successive deposits. The wear on both heels and was not figured. genera Somniosus, Oxynotus and Centrophorus, all meso- AS01 (Plate 8G-L) - Andreas Schenck collection, Jewett and epipelagic sharks (Compagno, 1984), are reported Sand, Pyramid Hill Sand Member, Temblor Fonnation, from this fonnation (Hennan et al., 1974; pers.
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