TRIASSIC FISHES FROM SPITZBERGEN 
33 
Genus Palaeobates H. v. Meyer. 
Synonyms: Psammodus (in part) Geinitz H. B. (ex Agassiz M. S.) 183?, Strophodus (in part) Agassiz i 838- 
Teeth belonging to Palaeobates are found mentioned in the literature for the first 
time in 1837 under the generic name of Psammodus (Geinitz, p. 22, PI. Ill, figs. 6, 7; 
Hogard, pp. 214, 235). In 1 838 Agassiz considered that he ought provisionally to include 
these teeth in the genus Strophodus and in connection with this he says in his description 
of the teeth of S . angustissimus: «leur extreme petitesse qui sort des limites que l’on 
observe habituellement dans les dimensions des especes d’un meme genre, me porterait 
meme a crOire qu’elles proviennent d’un poisson qui constituera un jour un genre a 
part, quand il sera mieux connu» (i 838 , vol. Ill, p. 128). 
The generic name of Palaeobates was introduced in 1849 by H. v. Meyer (1849 b, 
pp. 233 — 234 ) for those of Agassiz’s Strophodus species that were known from the Triassic. 
Among the investigators who have worked on teeth of Palaeobates may be mentioned, 
in addition to those already given: Schmid (1861, pp. 6—9), Eck (1865, p. 62), Woodward 
(1889 a, p.248) and Jaekel (1889, p.327; 19x1 b, p. 17). Jaekel especially has made a study 
of the microscopical structure of the Palaeobates teeth. 
In his family «Des Cestraciontes» Agassiz included his genus Strophodus, com¬ 
prising in it, among others, also the teeth we now distinguish under the name of 
Palaeobates , together with Cesiracion Cuvier, Ptychodus Agassiz, Acrodus, Psammosteus 
Agassiz, Ceratodus Agassiz and a number of other genera. A similar view was also held 
by Pictet (1845), Giebel (1848) and Quenstedt (1852) among the older authors. 
H. v. Meyer (1849 b) was of the opinion that the Palaeobates teeth most closely 
resembled those of Myliobatis and Zygobatis, i. e. that they were teeth of rays, and the 
same view was taken by Schmid in 1861. 
Zittel in his «Handbuch der Palaontologie» (1887—1889, p. 77) includes Palaeobates 
in Strophodus, which, together with Cestracion, Orodus Agassiz, Campodus de Koninck 
Acrodus, Ptychodus and a couple of other genera, he groups in the family Cestracionidae. 
Woodward (1889 a, p. 248) placed Palaeobates as an independent genus among the 
Cestracionids, to which he also referred the genera Orodus, Campodus, Diclitodus Davis, 
Sphenacanthus Agassiz, Tristychius Agassiz, Wodnika G. von Munster, Hybodus, Asteracanthus 
(Strophodus), Bdellodus Quenstedt, Palaeospinax Egerton and Synechodus A. S. Woodward. 
In 1889, after thorough investigations of teeth belonging to Palaeobates, Jaekel 
was able to separate this genus from others better than preceding investigators, and, 
while emphasizing its relationship to Acrodus, he follows the view that it ought to be 
included among the Cestracionids. Palaeobates is now usually found among these in 
textbooks, e. g. in the two later editions of Zittel’s «Grundziige der Palaontologie» 
(1911, 1918), while Orodus, Ctenacanthus (Sphenacanthus), Hybodus, Tristychius, Acrodus, 
Polyacrodus, Asteracanthus and Wodnika are separated from the Cestracionids and grouped 
in the family Hybodontidae. 
Palaeobates was for a long time known only from upper Bunter Sandstone and 
the Muschelkalk in Germany and the east of France. In 1890, however, Tommasi (p. 3 ) 
mentioned Palaeobates in the Triassic of Raibl. In 19x1 Jaekel described a Palaeobates 
species from the Bakony-Wald (1911b, pp. 17—18) and I have now myself ascertained 
beyond all doubt that this genus is represented in the Triassic of Spitzbergen as well. 
S ten si 6, Triassic Fishes from Spitzbergen. 5 
