Sarcoprion

Sarcoprion
Temporal range: Wuchiapingian,
Paratype specimen of Sarcoprion edax, from the collection of the Danish Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Holocephali
Order: Eugeneodontida
Family: Helicoprionidae
Genus: Sarcoprion
Nielsen, 1952
Species
  • S. edax

Sarcoprion (from the Ancient Greek, "flesh saw") is an extinct genus of eugeneodont holocephalan from the Permian of Greenland. Similar to other helicoprionids such as Agassizodus and Helicoprion, it possessed tooth whorls on the symphysis of the jaw as well as flattened, pavement-type teeth. It is distinguished from other members of its family by the presence of sharp, symphyseal teeth on both the upper and lower jaws. The tooth whorl on the lower jaw bore sharp, compact tooth crowns, while a row of backward facing, triangular teeth was present on the roof of the mouth. The preserved material does not show evidence of a distinct upper jaw, implying it may have been fused to the cranium, reduced, or lost entirely. The type and only species in the genus is S. edax.