Pterosaur, fish or plesiosaur tooth?

[Alston Gee]

Hi everyone,

 

This tooth has been part of my personal collection for some time without a clear identification. It was discovered during a field research project in Southwestern China. Recently, while attempting to clean it, the tooth accidentally broke into two pieces. I observed that the labial surface was smooth, while the buccal and lingual surfaces were covered with thick ridges. The ridges on the enamel were denser than those typically found on plesiosaur or pliosaur teeth. Additionally, the tooth was much straighter compared to most plesiosaur teeth. In this sense, would this tooth possibly be assigned to an indeterminatepterosaur or fish species?

[Alston Gee]

The geological age of this tooth was traced to the Early Jurassic. I compared this tooth with those of a rhomaleosaur species (i.e., Bishanopliosaurus sp.) and found substantial differences in ridge thickness and curvature. I will also attach a few photos of the Bishanopliosaurus sp. for reference. 

[Alston Gee]

@pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon @msantix @rocket @LSCHNELLE

[rocket]

great find! I would assume it is a type of Plesiosaur / Elasmosaur-tooth. If Bishanopliosaurus occurs in this region and stratigraphic position it might be a candidate. 

Is your tooth from the same region and age than the figured one?

 

[Alston Gee]

2 hours ago, rocket said:

great find! I would assume it is a type of Plesiosaur / Elasmosaur-tooth. If Bishanopliosaurus occurs in this region and stratigraphic position it might be a candidate.  Is your tooth from the same region and age than the figured one?

 

Yes, this tooth was from the same region and geological period as Bishanopliosaurus sp., but the curvature and thickness of the ridges are quite different. As you can see, Bishanopliosaurus sp. typically has a more curved tooth with less dense ridges.

[rocket]

There are more dinos than marine reptiles for pterosaurs known from the Shaximiao-Formation. The Pteros would not fit, Angustinaripterus has long teeth but when I compare it with their "Relatives" (Dorygnathus) from our own collection it would not fit.

A "plesiosaur"-type would fit most, but, as mentioned, it is not a complete tooth, so...