Fossil marine vertebrates from the Codell Sandstone Member (middle Turonian) of the Upper Cretaceous Carlile Shale in Jewell County, Kansas, USA

Reported here is the first collective description of a marine vertebrate assemblage from the Codell Sandstone Member (middle Turonian) of the Upper Cretaceous Carlile Shale in Jewell County, Kansas. The Codell Sandstone was deposited during a regression of the Western Interior Seaway, and the fossil locality is described as a relatively shallow, near-shore environment. The fauna consists of 38 taxa, including at least 22 chondrichthyans, 13 osteichthyan fishes, and tetrapod remains belonging to mosasauridae, plesiosauria, and testudines. The fauna is dominated by active, pelagic carnivores, such as Meristodonoides, Anomotodon, Scapanorhynchus, Odontaspis, Cretalamna, Archaeolamna, Cretoxyrhina, Cretodus, Dallasiella, Pseudocorax, Paranomotodon, Belonostomus, Protosphyraena, Xiphactinus, Pachyrhizodus, Enchodus, Apateodus, Aulopiformes indet., Mosasauridae indet., and Plesiosauria indet. The fauna also includes benthic fish taxa (e.g., Ptychodus, Rhinobatos, Ptychotrygon, Ischyrhiza, Sclerorhynchus, Micropycnodon, and Anomoeodus), a possible planktivore (Cretomanta), and probable scavengers (Squalicorax). Notable occurrences include the oldest example of Ptychodus mortoni from North America, the first reported Anomotodon and the second reported Paranomotodon from Kansas, and one newly described chondrichthyan Squalicorax deckeri sp. nov.