A new elasmobranch fauna from the early Miocene of Sharbithat (Sultanate of Oman) reveals the teeth of an ancient fantail stingray

Here we describe a new elasmobranch assemblage consisting of isolated dental material from the Aquitanian near-shore marine deposits of the Shuwayr and Warak formations at Sharbithat, in eastern Sultanate of Oman. The faunal composition clearly indicates affinities to other early Miocene elasmobranch-bearing localities worldwide. This assemblage is predominantly composed of large and common pelagic sharks as well as teeth attributable to a new species of fantail stingray, Taeniurops tosii, as old as the oldest undisputable fossil records of Taeniurops. The study of this fossil assemblage presented here improves the knowledge of the ancient elasmobranchs that frequented the eastern Arabian coasts during the closure of the Neotethys and the birth of the Arabian Sea.

Automated summary

This article describes a new assemblage of elasmobranchs discovered in the Sharbithat region of eastern Oman. The collection includes isolated dental fossils and shows affinities to other early Miocene elasmobranch-bearing sites worldwide. The study of this fossil assemblage improves our understanding of ancient elasmobranchs in the eastern Arabian coastline during the closure of the Neotethys and the formation of the Arabian Sea.