The Eugeneodontidae is an extinct family of eugeneodont holocephalans known from the late Paleozoic the United States and Iran.[1][2] A defining trait of the group is pavement-like dentition with blade-like teeth, implying a divergent diet to the closely related caseodontids which they otherwise closely resemble. Both Eugeneodus and Gilliodus are known from virtually complete skeletons, including extensive patches of preserved dermal denticles. The name of both the family and the type genus, and by extension the entire order of Eugeneodontida, are in honor of Paleontologist Eugene S. Richardson Jr.[3]
Members of this family have variously been proposed as comparatively primitive members of Eugeneodontida. Unlike the true caseodonts, Bobbodus possessed a well developed palatoquadrate (upper jaw),[4] and the tail of Eugeneodus is described as being unfused and unspecialized in comparison to genera such as Fadenia and Caseodus. It is considered the sister family to Caseodontidae, with the two together forming the superfamily Caseodontoidea.[3]
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