Fish remains principally consisting of teeth, are common fossils in the Cainozoic beds of southern Australia, particularly in Victoria, and also in New Zealand.
Balcombian Series, Southern Australia.—
The Balcombian beds as seen at Mornington and in the Lower Beds at Muddy Creek, Hamilton, contain the teeth of sharks as Odontaspis contortidens, Lamna crassidens, L. apiculata, Oxyrhina hastalis (rarely), O. minuta, Carcharodon megalodon, and C. robustus.
Janjukian.—
The Janjukian Series (Miocene), represented at Torquay, Waurn Ponds and Table Cape, contains an abundant fish fauna, including amongst sharks, Cestracion cainozoicus, Asteracanthus eocaenicus, Galeocerdo davisi, Carcharoides totuserratus, Odontaspis contortidens, O. incurva, O. cuspidata, Lamna crassidens, L. apiculata ([Fig. 130 D]), L. compressa, L. bronni, Oxyrhina hastalis (occasional) ([Fig. 130 C]), O. desori, O. retroflexa, O. minuta, Carcharodon auriculatus ([Fig. 130 E]), C. megalodon and C. robustus. A species of chimaeroid or Elephant fish is represented by a left mandibular tooth named Ischyodus mortoni, from the Table Cape Beds, Tasmania.
The Corio Bay series contains teeth of Acanthias geelongensis, Sphyrna prisca, Odontaspis contortidens, O. attenuata, Oxyrhina minuta, Carcharodon megalodon, amongst sharks; whilst the spine of a Porcupine Fish, Diodon connewarrensis has been obtained from the clays of Lake Connewarre, Victoria.
Kalimnan.—
Fig. 131—CAINOZOIC FISH REMAINS.
A—Carcharoides tenuidens, Chapm. Cainozoic (Janj.) Victoria
B—Odontaspis contortidens. Agassiz. Cainozoic (Kal.) Victoria
C—Galeocerdo latidens, Agassiz. Cainozoic (Kal.) Victoria
D—Myliobatis morrabbinensis, Chapm. and Pritch. Cainozoic (Kal.) Victoria
E—Labrodon confertidens. Chapm. and Pritch. Cainozoic (Kal.) Vict.
F—Diodon formosus, Chapm. and Pritch. Cainozoic (Kal.) Vict.