Enchodus (fromGreek:ἔγχοςenchos, 'spear' andGreek:ὀδούςodoús 'tooth')^[2] is an extinctgenus ofaulopiformray-finned fish related tolancetfish andlizardfish. Species ofEnchodus flourished during theLate Cretaceous, where they were a widespread component of marine ecosystems worldwide, and there is some evidence that they may have survived to thePaleocene orEocene; however, this may just represent reworked Cretaceous material.^[3][4][5]

Enchodus Temporal range:Albian-Maastrichtian ~105–66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N PossibleBarremian &Paleogene records
E. petrosus mounted skeleton cast,Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Aulopiformes
Family:	†Enchodontidae
Genus:	†Enchodus Agassiz, 1835
Type species
†Esox lewesiensis Mantell, 1822
Species
~26+, see text
Synonyms[1]
IsodusHeckel, 1849 PhasganodusLeidy, 1857 Ischyrocephalusvon der Marck, 1858 SolenodonKramberger, 1881 (preocc.) ?TetheodusCope, 1874 HolcodonKramberger, 1885 EurygnathusDavis, 1887 (preocc.)

Enchodus species were small to medium in size, withE. zinensis reaching 172.2 centimetres (67.8 in) long.^[6] One of the genus' most notable attributes are the large "fangs" at the front of the upper and lower jaws and on thepalatine bones, leading to its misleading nickname amongfossil hunters andpaleoichthyologists, "the saber-toothedherring". These fangs, along with a long sleek body and large eyes, suggestEnchodus was apredatoryspecies.^[7]

E. petrosus, with standard length around 76.7 centimetres (30.2 in)^[6] and sometimes over 1 metre (3 ft 3 in),^[8] is known from common remains coming from theNiobrara Chalk, theMooreville Chalk Formation, thePierre Shale, and other geological formations deposited within theWestern Interior Seaway and theMississippi Embayment. Large individuals of this species had fangs measuring over 6 centimetres (2.4 in) in length, giving its skull an appearance somewhat reminiscent of moderndeep-sea fishes, such asanglerfish andviperfish. Other species, such asE. parvus, were considerably smaller, measuring only some centimetres (a few inches) long.^[9]

Despite being a formidable predator, remains ofEnchodus are commonly found among the stomach contents of larger predators, includingsharks, other bony fish,mosasaurs,plesiosaurs and seabirds such asBaptornis advenus.^{[citation needed]}

Enchodus fossils have been found all over the world. InNorth America,Enchodus remains have been recovered from most US states with fossiliferous Late Cretaceous rocks, includingKansas,Nebraska,Colorado,Alabama,Mississippi,Georgia,Tennessee,Wyoming,Texas,California,North Carolina, andNew Jersey. Fossils also have been found in theAguja andEl Doctor Formations ofMexico and theAshville,Vermillion River andDinosaur Park Formations, andBrown Bed Member ofCanada. The taxon is also known from coeval strata in Mexico, South America (TiupampanSanta Lucía Formation andMaastrichtianEl Molino Formation of Bolivia,Paraíba,Pernambuco andSergipe states of Brazil, as well as Argentina, Chile, and Peru^[10]), Africa (Egypt, Morocco, the Congo, Angola, Niger, and Equatorial Guinea), the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Jordan),Europe (England, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Greece, Ukraine^[11] and Russia), India, and Japan.^[12][1] Potentially the latestEnchodus remains are known from the earliestEocene ofBarmer,India.^[4] However, it has also been suggested that all post-CretaceousEnchodus records are just reworked material.^[5]

Species ofEnchodus are generally classified into two differentclades, the North American and the Mediterranean. It has been proposed that this distinction is the result of severalisolated events between the two populations over the Late Cretaceous.^[13] The earliest known species isE. zimapanensis from the late Albian or earliest Cenomanian of Mexico.^[14] Potentially earlier remains are known from the lateBarremian/early Aptian of Brazil (Morro de Chaves Formation), but these specimens are too fragmentary to confidently assign to this genus.^[15][16]

Enchodus was a diverse, long-lived genus with many species known throughout its temporal and geographic range. The following valid species are known:^{[12][1][15][17]}

• E. brevisChalifa, 1989 -Cenomanian of theWest Bank,Palestine (Amminadav Formation), potentiallyLebanon (Sannine Formation)
• E. bursauxi(Arambourg, 1952) -Coniacian ofAngola (Itombe Formation), LateCampanian of Egypt,Maastrichtian to potentiallyDanian of Morocco (Ouled Abdoun Basin)
• E. dentex(Heckel, 1856) - Cenomanian ofSlovenia (Komen Limestone)
• E. dirus(Leidy, 1857) -Maastrichtian of the United States (Fox Hills Formation of North Dakota,Severn Formation of Maryland), potentiallyGavdos, Greece^[18]
• E. elegansDartevelle & Casier 1949 - Coniacian of Angola (Itombe Formation), Maastrichtian of Brazil (Gramame Formation),Niger,Syria, andJordan (Alhisa Phosphorite Formation); Maastrichtian to potentially Danian of Morocco (Ouled Abdoun Basin)
• E. faujasiAgassiz, 1843 - Coniacian of Angola (Itombe Formation), Campanian of Israel (Mishash Formation), Maastrichtian of France (Calcarintes du Jadet Formation), Maastrichtian/potentially Danian of the Netherlands (Maastricht Formation)^[19]
• E. feroxLeidy, 1855 -Santonian ofOrenburg, Russia; Campanian to Maastrichtian (potentially Paleocene) of the United States (Marshalltown,Mount Laurel,Navesink, andHornerstown Formations of New Jersey, Marshalltown Formation of Delaware, Severn Formation of Maryland, Arkansas, Fox Hills Formation of North Dakota); Maastrichtian of Argentina (Jagüel Formation) and India (Intertrappean Beds)
• E. gladiolus(Cope, 1872) - Cenomanian to Maastrichtian of the United States (Greenhorn Limestone of Colorado, Kansas & Iowa,Graneros Shale &Carlile Shale of Nebraska,Mancos Shale of New Mexico, Carlile Shale of Kansas, Arkansas, andMerchantville, Navesink & Hornerstown Formations of New Jersey), Santonian to Campanian of Russia (Orenburg,Rybushka Formation), Maastrichtian of Argentina (Jagüel Formation), potentially Peru (Vivian Formation)^[10]
• E. gracilis(von der Marck, 1858) - Campanian of Germany (Ahlen Formation)
• E. lewesiensis(Mantell, 1822) (type species) - Cenomanian to Coniacian of England (English Chalk,Seaford Formation), Cenomanian/Turonian of Germany (Hesseltal Formation)^[20] and the Czech Republic, potentially Maastrichtian of Germany (Gerhardsreit Formation)
• E. libycus(Quaas, 1902) - Cenomanian to Maastrichtian of Brazil (Cotinguiba Formation, Gramame Formation), Campanian of Egypt, Maastrichtian to potentially Danian of Morocco (Ouled Abdoun Basin)^[21]
• E. longidens(Pictet, 1850) -Santonian of Lebanon (Sahel Alma), potentially Paleocene/early Eocene of India (Akli Formation)^[4]
• E. longipectoralis(Schaeffer, 1947) - Cenomanian to Coniacian of Brazil (Cotinguiba Formation)
• E. lycodonKner, 1867 - Cenomanian of Slovenia (Komen Limestone)
• E. macropterus(von der Marck, 1863) - Campanian of Germany (Baumberge Formation)
• E. majorDavis, 1887 - Santonian of Lebanon (Sahel Alma)
• E. marchesettii(Kramberger, 1895) - Cenomanian of Lebanon (Sannine Formation)
• E. mecoanalisForeyet al., 2003 - Cenomanian of Lebanon (Sannine Formation)
• E. oliveiraiMaury, 1930 - Cenomanian to Maastrichtian of Brazil (Cotinguiba & Gramame Formations)
• E. petrosusCope, 1874 - Cenomanian to late Campanian/early Maastrichtian of the United States (Tokio Formation of Arkansas,Carlile Shale of Kansas,Niobrara Formation of South Dakota,Mooreville &Demopolis Chalk of Alabama,Blufftown Formation of Georgia,Tar Heel Formation of North Carolina,Donoho Creek Formation of South Carolina,Navesink Formation of New Jersey), Turonian of Canada (Northwest Territories), Santonian to Campanian of Russia (Orenburg & Rybushka Formation)
• E. shumardiLeidy, 1856 - Cenomanian to Santonian of the United States (Greenhorn Limestone of Iowa, Kansas & Colorado, Carlile & Graneros Shale of Nebraska & Kansas, Niobrara Formation of Kansas & South Dakota) and Canada (Ashville Formation of Saskatchewan,Kaskapau Formation of Alberta)
• E. subaequilateralisCope, 1885 - Maastrichtian of Brazil (Gramame Formation)
• E. tineidaeHollowayet al., 2017 - Campanian of Egypt (Duwi Formation)^[13]
• E. venatorArambourg, 1954 - Cenomanian of Morocco (Jbel Tselfat), Italy (Scaglia Variegata Alpina Formation), and Germany (Hesseltal Formation)
• E. zinensisChalifa, 1996 - Campanian/Maastrichtian of Egypt
• E. zimapanensisFielitz & González-Rodríguez, 2010 - LateAlbian/Cenomanian of Mexico (El Doctor Formation)^[14]

Many other dubious species based on insufficient remains have been described throughout its range. Even most of the validEnchodus species are based on only isolated teeth and bones.^[15] The genusParenchodus, considered to be the sister genus ofEnchodus, has been synonymized with this genus based on some studies.^[15] However, more recent studies have found it to be a valid genus distinct fromEnchodus.^[13][18]

•  
  Restoration ofE. petrosus
•  
  E. lewesiensis skull
•  
  Teeth ofE. elegans fromKhouribga
•  
  Teeth ofE. libycus fromKhouribga

• Cope, Edward Drinker (1875)."Review of the Vertebrata of the Cretaceous Period Found West of the Mississippi River".Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories.1 (2):5–16.OCLC 879313308.Gale BAGPVO689069586.
• Everhart, Mike (2013)."Enchodus sp. - The Sabre-Toothed Fish of the Cretaceous".Oceans of Kansas.Archived from the original on November 18, 2022.
• Russell, Dale A. (1988).A Check List of North American Marine Cretaceous Vertebrates Including Fresh Water Fishes. Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.ISBN 978-1-55006-106-2.
• Davis, Matthew P.; Fielitz, Christopher (December 2010). "Estimating divergence times of lizardfishes and their allies (Euteleostei: Aulopiformes) and the timing of deep-sea adaptations".Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.57 (3):1194–1208.Bibcode:2010MolPE..57.1194D.doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.09.003.PMID 20854916.

•   Media related toEnchodus at Wikimedia Commons
• Introduction to Paleontology