PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Physogaleus contortus

Chondrichthyes - Carcharhiniformes - Galeocerdonidae

Taxonomy

Galeocerdo contortus was named by Gibbes (1847) [year is a guess].

It was recombined as Physodon contortus by Gervais (1872), Weiler (1938), Leder (2013); it was recombined as Physogaleus contortus by Carrillo-Briceño et al. (2016), Landini et al. (2017), Maisch IV et al. (2018), Kent (2018), Everaert et al. (2019), Villafaña et al. (2020), Türtscher et al. (2021), Cicimurri et al. (2022), Maisch IV et al. (2025), Cicimurri et al. (2025), Marramà et al. (2026).

Sister species lacking formal opinion data

P. aduncas, P. americanus, P. minor

Entered

by M. Uhen on 2006-07-28; modified by M. Uhen on 2020-05-02

Synonyms

Galeocerdo triqueter was named by Eastman (1904).

It was recombined as Physodon triqueter by Leriche (1942); it was synonymized subjectively with Physogaleus contortus by Türtscher et al. (2021).
Galeocerdo productus was named by Agassiz (1856).

It was synonymized subjectively with Gyrace occidentalis by Jordan and Hanibal (1923); it was synonymized subjectively with Physogaleus contortus by Türtscher et al. (2021).
Galeocerdo acutus was named by Storms (1894).

It was synonymized subjectively with Physogaleus contortus by Türtscher et al. (2021).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1847	Galeocerdo contortus Gibbes p. 193
1856	Galeocerdo productus Agassiz
1872	Physodon contortus Gervais
1889	Galeocerdo contortus Woodward p. 443
1894	Galeocerdo acutus Storms
1895	Galeocerdo contortus Clark p. 4
1902	Galeocerdo contortus Hay p. 311
1902	Galeocerdo productus Hay p. 312
1904	Galeocerdo triqueter Eastman
1907	Galeocerdo productus Jordan p. 101 figs. 4b and 4c
1919	Galeocerdo productus Jordan and Gilbert p. 21
1938	Physodon contortus Weiler p. 8
1942	Physodon triqueter Leriche p. 79
1946	Galeocerdo contortus Rapp p. 510
2001	Galeocerdo contortus Purdy et al. p. 146
2007	Galeocerdo contortus Kocsis p. 38
2013	Physodon contortus Leder p. 21 figs. Pl 7, figs 1-21; text-figs 8.6-8.8
2016	Physogaleus contortus Carrillo-Briceño et al. p. 9 figs. 7.11-7.15
2017	Physogaleus contortus Landini et al. p. 176 fig. 4A,B
2018	Physogaleus contortus Kent p. 110
2018	Physogaleus contortus Maisch IV et al. p. 366 fig. 5M,N
2019	Physogaleus contortus Everaert et al. p. 91 figs. Pl 3, fig 3,6
2019	Galeocerdo contortus Landini et al. p. 360
2020	Physogaleus contortus Villafaña et al.
2021	Physogaleus contortus Türtscher et al.
2022	Physogaleus contortus Cicimurri et al.
2025	Physogaleus contortus Cicimurri et al. p. 26
2025	Physogaleus contortus Maisch IV et al. p. 24
2026	Physogaleus contortus Marramà et al. p. 12

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
class	Chondrichthyes

Rank	Name	Author
infraclass	Elasmobranchii	(Bonaparte 1838)
—	Euselachii	()
—	Neoselachii	Compagno 1977
superorder	Galeomorphii	Compagno 1973
order	Carcharhiniformes	Compagno 1973
family	Galeocerdonidae	Poey 1875
genus	Physogaleus
species	contortus	()

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

†Physogaleus contortus Gibbes 1847

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Invalid names: Galeocerdo acutus Storms 1894 [synonym], Galeocerdo productus Agassiz 1856 [synonym], Galeocerdo triqueter Eastman 1904 [synonym]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

phosphaticsubp

Environment:

marinesubp

Locomotion:

actively mobileo

Life habit:

nektonico

Diet:

carnivoreo

Created:

2009-07-21 06:53:24

Modified:

2009-07-21 08:53:24

Source: o = order, subp = subphylum

References: Carroll 1988, Wagner 2023, Hendy et al. 2009

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Paleocene to the top of the Early/Lower Pliocene or 59.24000 to 3.60000 Ma

Collections (52 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Paleocene	59.24 - 56.0	USA (Virginia)	Galeocerdo contortus (84048)
Bartonian - Priabonian	41.03 - 33.9	Ukraine	Physogaleus contortus (278470)
Priabonian	37.71 - 33.9	USA (Louisiana)	Galeocerdo contortus (75638)
Rupelian	33.9 - 27.3	USA (South Carolina)	Physogaleus contortus (60444 224900)
Whitneyan	31.8 - 29.5	USA (Florida)	Galeocerdo triqueter (17341)
Chattian	27.3 - 23.04	USA (Mississippi)	Physogaleus contortus (133111)
Aquitanian	23.04 - 20.45	Peru (Ica)	Physogaleus contortus (278688)
Aquitanian	23.04 - 20.45	Panama (Panama)	Physogaleus contortus (159349)
Early/Lower Miocene	23.04 - 15.98	USA (North Carolina)	Galeocerdo contortus (71660)
Aquitanian - Langhian	23.04 - 13.82	USA (North Carolina)	Galeocerdo contortus (48887)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	USA (Delaware)	Galeocerdo contortus (18579)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	Belgium	Physogaleus contortus (208831)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	Venezuela (Falcón)	Physogaleus contortus (276389 276390 276391)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	USA (Maryland)	Galeocerdo contortus (57786 70593)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	Hungary	Galeocerdo contortus (210623)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	Peru (Ica)	Physogaleus contortus (100330)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	Italy	Galeocerdo contortus (70814)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	Germany (Bavaria)	Physogaleus contortus (210593)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	Peru	Physogaleus contortus (167732)
Burdigalian - Langhian	20.45 - 13.82	Cuba	Galeocerdo contortus (159595)
Burdigalian - Serravallian	20.45 - 11.63	North Atlantic	Physogaleus contortus (140191)
Langhian	15.98 - 13.82	USA (Virginia)	Physogaleus contortus (79793)
Langhian	15.98 - 13.82	USA (Maryland)	Galeocerdo contortus (48884)
Middle Miocene	15.98 - 11.63	Peru	Galeocerdo contortus (113242 113244)
Serravallian	13.82 - 11.63	USA (Virginia)	Physogaleus contortus (57700)
Serravallian	13.82 - 11.63	USA (Maryland)	Galeocerdo contortus (55396 60376) Galeocerdo contortus, Galeocerdo triqueter (57782) Galeocerdo triqueter (70843)
Early/Lower Clarendonian	12.5 - 9.4	USA (Florida)	Galeocerdo contortus (161374) Physogaleus contortus (162456)
Late/Upper Clarendonian	12.5 - 9.4	USA (Florida)	Physogaleus contortus (18554)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Panama	Galeocerdo contortus (24237) Physogaleus contortus (96700)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Peru	Physogaleus contortus (277545)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	USA (Virginia)	Physogaleus contortus (152251)
Late/Upper Miocene	11.63 - 5.333	USA (Florida)	Physogaleus contortus (162452 162457)
Late/Upper Miocene	11.63 - 5.333	Panama (Panama)	Physogaleus contortus (191987 191989 191993 191994 191995 191996)
Late/Upper Miocene - Early/Lower Pliocene	11.63 - 3.6	USA (Florida)	Physogaleus contortus (276265)
Messinian	7.246 - 5.333	USA (Virginia)	Physogaleus contortus (179732)
Pliocene - Gelasian	5.333 - 1.8	USA (Florida)	Physogaleus contortus (242028)