Cladodus
genus of fishes (fossil)
Cladodus is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fishes in the family Ctenacanthidae. As the name implies, they are a type of cladodont, primitive sharks with teeth designed to snag fish and swallow them whole, instead of sawing off chunks to swallow.
Fossils of Cladodus have been found in Barkip, Scotland, Bundock and Laurel Formations, Australia and in the Pitkin Formation (Carboniferous period) in Arkansas, United States. In addition, fossils attributable to Cladodus are known from the Manning Canyon Shale of Carboniferous age in the state of Utah.
Species
†Cladodus alternatus St. John & Worthen, 1875
†Cladodus angulatus Newberry & Worthen, 1866
†Cladodus bellifer St. John & Worthen, 1875
†Cladodus divaricatus Trautschold, 1874
†Cladodus elegans Newberry & Worthen, 1870 Remains (braincase and a tooth) have been found in Scotland (Clackmannan Group).
†Cladodus eriensis Bryant, 1935
†Cladodus formosus Hay, 1902
†Cladodus gailensis Feichtinger et al., 2021
†Cladodus marginatus Agassiz, 1843
†Cladodus mirabilis Agassiz, 1843 (type species)
†Cladodus pandatus St. John & Worthen, 1875
†Cladodus springeri St. John & Worthen, 1875
†Cladodus thomasi Turner, 1982 Known by teeth from the Lower Carboniferous Bundock Formation, North Queensland, and the Tournaisian Laurel Formation, Western Australia.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Cladodus” as genus of fishes (fossil). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as genus of fishes (fossil). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 28, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q22285555. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1875, 1866, 1874 and 1870.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Cladodus”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Cladodus primary sources, Cladodus archive and Cladodus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cladodus”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Cladodus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.