Macrorhizodus is an extinct genus of mackerel shark which lived from the early Eocene to early Oligocene epoch of the Paleogene period. It is often considered ancestral to Isurus and sometimes considered part of it. Macrorhizodus is also likely ancestral to Cosmopolitodus. It seems to be related to Isurolamna. It is known from isolated teeth and vertebral centra as well as at least two associated dentitions. It is an incredibly widespread shark, known from every continent except Australia. This includes a report from Antarctica.[1]
The genus is composed of the following species:
| Macrorhizodus nolfi | This is an early Eocene (Ypresian) species. It is well known from the London Clay of England, the Aktulagay Formation of Kazakhstan, and other places in Eurasia.The species is notably absent in contemporary formations in North America. | [2] | ||
| Macrorhizodus praecursor | This species is from the mid Eocene to early Oligocene. Some authors restrict this species to the Lutetian stage, while other prefer to lump it with the next two. It is known from the lower Santee Limestone Formation of South Carolina, the Lutetian of Kazakhstan, the Piney Point Formation of Virginia, and other Lutetian localities, as well as from the Rupelian Red Bluff Clay of Alabama.[3] | [4] | ||
| Macrorhizodus americana | This species is limited to the Bartonian. It is sometimes lumped with M. praecursor. It is best known from Kazakhstan, but has been found in other formations. It is known from the upper Santee Limestone Formation of South Carolina. | [5] | ||
| Macrorhizodus falcatus | This species is limited to the Priabonian. It is sometimes lumped with M. praecursor. It is common in the Samlat formation of Dakhla, Morocco. |