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Fossil remains of fishes found in Rhaetian (Late Triassic, c.208.5–201.3 Ma) sediments collected from a subrosion pipe in the Winterswijk quarry are described. The fauna shows great similarity to material known from the British Triassic of the Penarth Group and from other localities in Northwestern Europe. Both chondrichthyan and osteichthyan teeth and scales are present. Most abundant are the sharks Lissodus minimus and Rhomphaiodon minor and the actinopterygians Gyrolepis albertii, Saurichthys longidens and Birgeria acuminata. Isolated teeth of the latter two taxa were known under the name Severnichthys acuminatus, but the genus Severnichthys is here considered a nomen dubium; it should be suppressed in order to make the taxonomy less complicated.

Purpose In the present study, we described, for first time, the chondrichthyan fauna from several Middle-Late Triassic sections in the Betic Domain and compare it with other recent described coeval faunas from the Iberian Ranges. Methods Specimens were retrieved after the dissolution (with 10% acetic acid) of carbonate rocks. Results The assemblage comprises of seven species belonging to six genera (Hybodus plicatilis, Omanoselache bucheri comb. nov., Omanoselache contrarius comb. nov., Lonchidion derenzii, Lissodus aff. L. lepagei, Pseudodalatias henarejensis and cf. Rhomaleodus budurovi), most of them non-nesoselachian. Chondrichthyans remains occur in levels dating from Ladinian to Carnian according with bivalves, ammonoids and conodonts. Conclusions The findings are comparable, in taxonomical terms, to the chondrichthyan fauna from the Ladinian of the Iberian Range that was recently described, although chondrichthyans seems noticeably less abundant in the Betic Domain. Most of the species found occur also in the Iberian Range, with the exception of Lonchidion derenzii and cf Rhomaleodus budurovi, which occur in the Boyar Section, dated as Carnian. The small size of all teeth recovered, belonging probably to young specimens, suggest that the very shallow epicontinental environments recorded in Middle-Upper Triassic rocks from the Betic Domain could be used as nursery areas.

Manor Farm Quarry shows a detailed record of the entire Rhaetian section typical of southwest England. It has yielded a standard Rhaetian marine fauna, including eight species of sharks, four species of actinopterygian fishes, and the reptiles Pachystropheus and Ichthyosaurus, all of which are widely known from coeval sites. An unusual feature is the occurrence of an unidentified coelacanth, represented by nine isolated quadrates showing a broad range of sizes. The site has also provided information on the occurrence of vertebrates through five distinctive bone-bearing horizons, including the famous basal Westbury Formation bone bed, as well as a second horizon with bones at the top of the Westbury Formation, and three within the overlying Cotham Member of the Lilstock Formation. These show substantial differences, especially between the basal bone bed and the four overlying bone-rich units. The basal Westbury Formation bone bed is dominated by shark remains (73%, compared to 23–30% in the four overlying units), most notably, teeth of Rhomphaiodon minor and Lissodus minimus, which are absent or rare in higher beds. Further, teeth of the bony fishes Gyrolepis albertii and Severnichthys acuminatus are rare in the basal bone bed, but abundant at the top of the Westbury Formation and through the Cotham Member, and the sharks Duffinselache holwellensis and Pseudocetorhinus pickfordi, absent in the basal bone bed, are relatively abundant in the four overlying bone-bearing units. These differences in faunal lists and in relative proportions probably do not reflect sampling, but some major differences in ecology and evolution.