Syntomodus
Syntomodus is an extinct genus of eugeneodont from the Late Permian of Russia. The genus includes a single species, S. abbreviatus, which is known only from a single, poorly preserved set of four teeth. The species may belong to the family Edestidae.Discovery
The holotype specimen of Syntomodus was discovered in a Lopingian-stage deposit in the Yana River Basin of Sakha Republic, Russia. The taxon was named and described by researcher Dmitry Vladimirovich Obruchev. The holotype is part of the collection of the Paleontological [Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences|Palaeontological Institute] in Moscow.Description
The only known specimen of Syntomodus is incomplete and has been described as poorly preserved. The teeth are triangular and blade-like, and because of their state of preservation it is unclear if they are angled forwards or backwards. In life they were positioned along the midline, or symphysis, of the jaw.Classification
When first described by Obruchev, Syntomodus was placed in the family Helicoprionidae, within the order Bradyodonti and the subclass Holocephali. ''Syntomodus is now presumed to instead be a member of the family Edestidae, although because the direction its teeth were angled is unclear, this assignment is tentative. In 1981 publication, researcher Rainer Zangerl proposed that Syntomodus'' is the most basal edestid if it is included in that family.