SilesianTriassic

Placodontia indet.

Middle Triassic, Lower Muschelkalk (Anisian), Gogolin Beds

Upper Silesia, Poland

The specimen is a probable fragment of the premaxilla with a preserved tooth belonging to an indeterminate reptile of the Placodontia.

The total length of the specimen, including the preserved tooth fragment, is approximately 30 mm, while the tooth itself measures about 8 mm. The bone fragment is elongated and tapers away from the tooth-bearing part. Roughly halfway along its length, the bone widens into a distinct swelling. The surface of this area is covered with delicate ornamentation in the form of small pits and elongated depressions. Part of the tooth root is visible emerging from this swollen region.

The crown is incomplete, with enamel preserved mainly along the sides of the tooth. The enamel surface is almost smooth, showing only very faint and sparse striae. The tooth is peg-shaped and widens slightly from the root toward the missing tip.

The specimen does not resemble typical nothosaur-type teeth. Despite the damage, it appears more consistent with the elongated anterior teeth known from placodonts, which are usually peg-shaped and covered with relatively smooth enamel, similar to the tooth preserved here. A fragment of the root is still embedded in the surrounding bone, and a clear boundary between the root and the thickened bone tissue can be observed. This suggests that the tooth was preserved in situ rather than representing an isolated tooth with an unusually long root.

Based on these features, the specimen most likely represents a fragment of the premaxilla or another anterior jaw element, where the elongated front teeth of placodonts were typically located.