THE OCCURRENCE OF THE SHARK GENUS TRIGONOTODUS FROM THE EOCENE OF MONMOUTH COUNTY NEW JERSEY

The genus Trigonotodus was originally described from the Eocene of Kazakhstan and has since been recorded from the Eocene of Uzbekistan, England and Morocco as well as the Oligocene of South Carolina. To date, no occurrences of the genus have been recognized from the Eocene of North America. Here we report on three teeth of Trigonotodus cf. tusbairicus collected in Monmouth County, New Jersey from a lag deposit separating the middle Eocene Shark River Formation and the early Miocene Kirkwood Formation. These specimens are referred to the Shark River Formation and are the first examples of the genus to be reported from the Eocene of North America.