New observations on the anatomy and paleobiology of the Eocene requiem shark †Eogaleus bolcensis (Carcharhiniformes, Carcharhinidae) from Bolca Lagerstätte, Italy

Here we provide new information about the anatomy of the extinct shark †Eogaleus bolcensis from the early Eocene Bolca Konservat-Lagerstätte. The combination of morphological and dental characters of the three known articulated specimens and a single isolated tooth collected from the Pesciara and Monte Postale sites (e.g., head bulky with rounded snout, pectoral fins of semiplesodic type, cutting-clutching dentition, dermal denticles shell-shaped and of drag-reducing type, caudal fin accounting for one fourth of the entire body length, 135–153 vertebrae) supports the assignment of †Eogaleus to the family Carcharhinidae and allows us to confirm definitively its distinct taxonomic status from the sympatric carcharhiniform, the triakid †Galeorhinus cuvieri. Moreover, the analysis of the dermal denticle morphology and the size and maturity age estimates of the studied specimens provide new paleobiological information about †Eogaleus, suggesting a close association of this small top predator with the tropical shallow-water marine context hypothesized for the Bolca paleobiotopes.