Protospinax fossil map
Where fossils of Protospinax have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 160 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 160 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Ancient fish & sharks |
|---|---|
| Lived | 184.2–66 million years ago (Toarcian to Maastrichtian) |
| Periods | Jurassic, Cretaceous |
| Family | Protospinacidae |
| Named by | Woodward 1919 |
| Fossil records | 29 occurrences at 19 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Poland, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Spain, Denmark |
| Rock formations | txn:131677, Solnhofen, Jasna Gora, Kimmeridge Clay, Sot de Chera, Hythe |
About Protospinax
Protospinax is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish from the Middle to Late Jurassic of Europe and Russia. The type species, P. annectans, was found in the Solnhofen limestones of southern Bavaria. Formerly known from only two specimens, further museum specimens of P. annectans were discovered at the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard University in the 1990s, having been misidentified as Squatina and Heterodontus. Six more species, all known only from isolated teeth, have been assigned to Protospinax, though only four including the type species remain valid. It was a relatively small shark, with the largest uncatalogued specimen of P. annectans measuring about 1.63 metres (5.3 ft) long.
Protospinax is a difficult taxon to accommodate in taxonomies. A 2023 study found it to be a squalomorph shark; one analysis placed it closest to angelsharks and sawsharks, but the authors concluded that its exact position within Squalomorphi is ultimately tentative due to a lack of unambiguous supporting traits.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Protospinax (revision 1327587800), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q288730.
