Members of the Eugeneodontida are further classified into different families, the most well-preserved members that have been discovered are commonly placed within the families Helicoprionidae ("spiral saws"), and Edestidae ("those which devour"), the former containing the genera Helicoprion, Sarcoprion, and Parahelicoprion, and the latter containing the genera Edestus, Lestrodus, and Metaxyacanthus. All eugeneodonts are thought to have been obligate carnivores, with each genus having specialized feeding behaviors, territory ranges, and specific prey.
Among the eugeneodonts, some members of the superfamily Edestoidea are probably the largest marine animals of their time, with the Late CarboniferousEdestus estimated to reach about or exceeding 6.7 metres (22 ft) in length,[7][8] with some Early PermianHelicoprion suggested to be over 7.6 metres (25 ft) long by some estimates[9] (though the body length estimates for both genera are somewhat speculative due to both only being known from skull material[7][8][9]).
Taxonomy
The list below shows taxa included within Eugeneodontida.[10]
^Zangerl, R. (1981). Handbook of Paleoichthyology. Volume 3A. Chondrichthyes I. Paleozoic Elasmobranchi. Stuttgart: Gustav Fischer Verlag. ISBN978-3-89937-045-4.
^Ginter, M.; Hampe, O.; Duffin, C. (2010). Handbook of Paleoichthyology. Volume 3D. Chondrichthyes. Paleozoic Elasmobranchi: Teeth. Munich: Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil. ISBN978-3-89937-116-1.
External links
[1] Palaeos Vertebrates 70.100 Chondrichthyes: Eugnathostomata at paleos.com