The First Occurrence of Ptychodus latissimus from the Codell Sandstone Member of the Carlile Shale in Kansas

Abstract

Three teeth of the late Cretaceous shark Ptychodus latissimus (Agassiz) are described from the upper Middle Turonian Codell Sandstone Member of the Carlile Shale. These teeth are significant because they are the first documented occurrence of the species in Kansas, extending the paleobiogeographic range of species and adding a new paleoecological component to the Codell Sandstone fauna. Its association with various ammonite species living in different trophic levels with other ptychodontid sharks may be indicative of niche partitioning.