''Gnathodus'' is an extinct

conodont Conodonts (Greek ''kōnos'', "cone", + ''odont'', "tooth") are an extinct group of agnathan (jawless) vertebrates resembling eels, classified in the class Conodonta. For many years, they were known only from their tooth-like oral elements, which ...

genus in the family Idiognathodontidae.

Use in stratigraphy

The

Tournaisian The Tournaisian is in the ICS geologic timescale the lowest stage or oldest age of the Mississippian, the oldest subsystem of the Carboniferous. The Tournaisian age lasted from Ma to Ma. It is preceded by the Famennian (the uppermost stage ...

, the oldest age of the Mississippian (also known as Lower Carboniferous), contains eight conodont biozones, 3 of which are defined by ''Gnathodus species'': * the zone of ''Gnathodus pseudosemiglaber'' and '' Scaliognathus anchoralis'' * the zone of ''Gnathodus semiglaber'' and ''Polygnathus communis'' * the zone of ''Gnathodus typicus'' and ''Siphonodella isosticha'' The Visean, the second age of the Mississippian, contains four conodont biozones, two of which are defined by ''Gnathodus'' species: * the ''Gnathodus bilineatus'' Zone * the ''Gnathodus texanus'' Zone The

Serpukhovian The Serpukhovian is in the ICS geologic timescale the uppermost stage or youngest age of the Mississippian, the lower subsystem of the Carboniferous. The Serpukhovian age lasted from Ma to Ma. It is preceded by the Visean and is followed b ...

, the third or youngest age of the Mississippian, includes four conodont biozones, two of which are defined by ''Gnathodus'' species: * the ''Gnathodus postbilineatus'' Zone * the ''Gnathodus bollandensis'' Zone

References

* Proposal of Gnathodus bilineatus (Roundy, 1926) as type species of the genus Gnathodus Pander, 1856 (Conodonts). HR Lane and W Ziegler, Senckenbergiana lethaea, 1984

External links

''Gnathodus''
at

fossilworks Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals ...

.org (retrieved 15 May 2016) Ozarkodinida genera Mississippian conodonts Serpukhovian life Tournaisian life Viséan life Mississippian first appearances Mississippian extinctions Fossil taxa described in 1856 Taxa named by Heinz Christian Pander {{Conodont-stub