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Alopias (thresher shark)
Taxonomy
Alopias was named by Rafinesque (1810) [Sepkoski's age data: T Eo-l R Sepkoski's reference number: 884]. It is extant. It is the type genus of Alopiidae.
It was assigned to Lamnidae by Dartevelle and Casier (1943), Casier (1958); to Lamniformes by Sepkoski (2002); and to Alopiidae by Herman (1977), Thurmond and Jones (1981), Compagno (1984), Kumar and Loyal (1987), Purdy et al. (2001), Antunes and Balbino (2003), Compagno (2005), Kocsis (2007), Cicimurri and Knight (2009), Reinecke and Radwanski (2015), Carrillo-Briceño et al. (2016), Hastings and Dooley (2017), Kent (2018), Landini et al. (2019), Villafaña et al. (2020), Goedert et al. (2024), Landau et al. (2025), Cicimurri et al. (2025), Cicimurri et al. (2026), Marramà et al. (2026).
It was assigned to Lamnidae by Dartevelle and Casier (1943), Casier (1958); to Lamniformes by Sepkoski (2002); and to Alopiidae by Herman (1977), Thurmond and Jones (1981), Compagno (1984), Kumar and Loyal (1987), Purdy et al. (2001), Antunes and Balbino (2003), Compagno (2005), Kocsis (2007), Cicimurri and Knight (2009), Reinecke and Radwanski (2015), Carrillo-Briceño et al. (2016), Hastings and Dooley (2017), Kent (2018), Landini et al. (2019), Villafaña et al. (2020), Goedert et al. (2024), Landau et al. (2025), Cicimurri et al. (2025), Cicimurri et al. (2026), Marramà et al. (2026).
Species
Species lacking formal opinion data
Entered
by J. Sepkoski on 2003-01-23; modified by M. Clapham on 2026-08-01
Synonyms
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Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1768 | Vulpecula Valmont |
| 1810 | Alopias Rafinesque |
| 1886 | Alopecias Canto |
| 1889 | Alopecias Woodward p. 375 |
| 1926 | Alopecias Bohm p. 80 |
| 1926 | Alopecias Leriche p. 411 |
| 1942 | Alopecias Leriche p. 73 |
| 1943 | Alopias Dartevelle and Casier p. 142 |
| 1958 | Alopias Casier p. 38 |
| 1963 | Alopecias Jordan p. 599 |
| 1963 | Vulpecula Jordan p. 599 |
| 1977 | Alopias Herman p. 166 |
| 1981 | Alopias Thurmond and Jones p. 58 |
| 1984 | Alopias Compagno p. 229 |
| 1987 | Alopias Kumar and Loyal p. 63 |
| 2001 | Alopias Purdy et al. p. 107 |
| 2002 | Alopias Sepkoski |
| 2003 | Alopias Antunes and Balbino p. 143 |
| 2005 | Alopias Compagno |
| 2007 | Alopias Kocsis p. 34 |
| 2009 | Alopias Cicimurri and Knight p. 630 |
| 2015 | Alopias Reinecke and Radwanski p. 9 |
| 2016 | Alopias Carrillo-Briceño et al. p. 86 |
| 2017 | Alopias Hastings and Dooley p. 83 |
| 2018 | Alopias Kent p. 97 |
| 2019 | Alopias Landini et al. p. 357 |
| 2020 | Alopias Villafaña et al. |
| 2024 | Alopias Goedert et al. p. 457 |
| 2025 | Alopias Cicimurri et al. p. 17 |
| 2025 | Alopias Landau et al. p. 10 |
| 2026 | Alopias Cicimurri et al. p. 456 |
| 2026 | Alopias Marramà et al. p. 8 |
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If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.
G. Alopias Rafinesque 1810 [thresher shark]
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†Alopias acutidens Casier 1958
†Alopias crochardi Ward 1978
†Alopias denticulatus Cappetta 1981
†Alopias exigua Probst 1879
†Alopias grandis Leriche 1942
†Alopias hermani Kozlov 1999
†Alopias latidens Leriche 1909
†Alopias latidens carolinensis White 1956
†Alopias palatasi Kent 2018
Alopias pelagicus Nakamura 1935 [pelagic thresher]
†Alopias subexigua Dartevelle and Casier 1959
Alopias superciliosus Lowe 1840 [bigeye thresher]
Alopias vulpinus Bonnaterre 1788 [common thresher]
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Invalid names: Alopias macrourus Rafinesque 1810 [synonym]
Invalid names: Alopecias Canto 1886 [synonym], Vulpecula Valmont 1768 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: o = order, subp = subphylum | |||||
| References: Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Wagner 2023 | |||||
Age range
Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Ypresian to the top of the Holocene or 56.00000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 48.07 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 48.07 Ma
Collections (131 total)
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ypresian | India (Himachal Pradesh) | Alopias vulpinus (31267) | |
| Ypresian | Denmark | Alopias crochardi (277915) | |
| Ypresian | Morocco | Alopias denticulatus (214840 278288) | |
| Ypresian | USA (Washington) | Alopias sp. (278111) | |
| Ypresian - Lutetian | Denmark | Alopias crochardi (180458) | |
| Lutetian | Austria | Alopias sp. (280284) | |
| Lutetian | Jordan | Alopias subexigua (64351) | |
| Lutetian | United Kingdom (England) | Alopias leensis (41989 41992) | |
| Lutetian | France | Alopias denticulatus (277214 277215 277216 277217) Alopias sp. (61215) | |
| Lutetian - Bartonian | Egypt | Alopias sp. (137539) | |
| Middle Eocene | Ukraine | Alopias sp., Alopias denticulatus (113113) | |
| Lutetian - Chattian | Congo-Kinshasa | Alopias sp., Alopias latidens (275437) | |
| Bartonian | Egypt | Alopias sp. (137547) | |
| Bartonian | Russian Federation (Krasnodar) | Alopias sp., Alopias denticulatus (187028) | |
| Bartonian | Kazakhstan | Alopias hermani (278287) | |
| Priabonian | Barbados | Alopias grandis, Alopias acutidens (205153) | |
| Priabonian | Jordan | Alopias sp. (32899) | |
| Priabonian | Namibia (Sperrgebiet) | Alopecias smithwoodwardi (149316) | |
| Priabonian | USA (Louisiana) | Alopias latidens (75638) | |
| Priabonian | USA (South Carolina) | Alopias sp. (202014) | |
| Priabonian | Egypt | Alopias sp. (96952 137546 137548 137550 137551 137554 137556 137558 137573 137575 137579 137583 137588) | |
| Rupelian | France | Alopias exigua (69805) | |
| Rupelian | Czechia (Moravia) | Alopias sp. (104941) Alopias superciliosus (210132) | |
| Rupelian | Czechia | Alopias exigua (125331) Alopias superciliosus (276544) | |
| Rupelian | Kazakhstan | Alopias latidens (277572) | |
| Rupelian | Belgium | Alopias exigua (276448 277430 277480 277489) Alopias latidens (277884) Alopias latidens, Alopias exigua (187032) | |
| Rupelian | Belgium (Antwerpen) | Alopias latidens, Alopias exigua (52047) | |
| Rupelian | Poland | Alopias sp. (276532) | |
| Chattian | USA (South Carolina) | Alopias vulpinus (97550) | |
| Chattian | USA (Mississippi) | Alopias sp. (133111) | |
| Chattian | USA (California) | Alopias vulpinus, Alopias latidens, Alopias exigua (11601) | |
| Aquitanian | Colombia (La Guajira) | Alopias superciliosus (182218) | |
| Aquitanian | Russian Federation (Sakhalin) | Alopias superciliosus (138022) | |
| Aquitanian | Malta (Bahrija) | Alopias sp. (161388) | |
| Aquitanian | Peru (Ica) | Alopias superciliosus, Alopias vulpinus (278688) | |
| Early/Lower Miocene | India | Alopias valpes (87485) | |
| Early/Lower Miocene | Chile | Alopias superciliosus (241729) | |
| Early/Lower Miocene | USA (North Carolina) | Alopias superciliosus (71660) | |
| Early/Lower Miocene | India (Mizoram) | Alopias sp. (241735) | |
| Aquitanian - Langhian | USA (North Carolina) | Alopias superciliosus, Alopias vulpinus (48887) | |
| Neogene | Indian Ocean | Alopias superciliosus (55451) | |
| Burdigalian | Belgium | Alopias latidens, Alopias exigua (208831) | |
| Burdigalian | Slovakia | Oxyrhina exigua (48642) | |
| Burdigalian | Germany | Alopias exigua (277549) | |
| Burdigalian | Peru | Alopias superciliosus (167732) | |
| Burdigalian | Venezuela (Falcón) | Alopias vulpinus (228725 276389 276390) | |
| Burdigalian | Malta (Gozo) | Alopias sp. (161385) | |
| Burdigalian | Peru (Ica) | Alopias superciliosus, Alopias vulpinus (100330) | |
| Burdigalian | Malta (Bahrija) | Alopias sp. (161386) | |
| Burdigalian | Austria (Plesching bei Linz) | Alopias latidens, Alopias exigua (159375) | |
| Burdigalian | Germany (Bavaria) | Alopias exigua (210593) | |
| Burdigalian | Hungary | Alopias exigua (210623) | |
| Burdigalian - Serravallian | Portugal | Alopias vulpinus (277556) | |
| Langhian | France | Alopias superciliosus (277771) | |
| Langhian | USA (Maryland) | Alopias palatasi (70823) | |
| Langhian | USA (Virginia) | Alopias latidens (79793) | |
| Langhian | Portugal (Penedo) | Alopias sp. (161620) | |
| Langhian | Belgium (Flemish Region) | Alopias exigua (275668) | |
| Langhian | Mexico (Baja California) | Alopias sp. (52183) | |
| Langhian - Serravallian | Mexico (Baja California Sur) | Alopias sp. (13450) | |
| Middle Miocene | Japan | Alopias superciliosus (161492) | |
| Middle Miocene | India (Orissa) | Alopias vulpes (46343) | |
| Middle Miocene | Japan (Gifu) | Alopias sp., Alopias latidens, Alopias exigua (161445) | |
| Badenian | Poland | Alopias exigua (162017) | |
| Serravallian | USA (South Carolina) | Alopecias grandis (18506) | |
| Serravallian | France (Gironde) | Alopias sp. 1 (161524 161525 161527) | |
| Serravallian | France | Alopias sp. (85338) Alopias superciliosus (277911) Alopias superciliosus, Alopias vulpinus (277907 277908) | |
| Serravallian | USA (Virginia) | Alopecias grandis (71798) Alopias sp. (57700) | |
| Serravallian - Tortonian | Malta (Ras ii-Karraba) | Alopias sp. (161384) | |
| Tortonian | Portugal | Alopias exigua (276004) | |
| Tortonian | Panama (Colon) | Alopias superciliosus (160781) | |
| Tortonian | USA (Virginia) | Alopias latidents (152251) | |
| Tortonian | Belgium | Alopias sp. (217346) | |
| Late/Upper Miocene | Costa Rica (Limon) | Alopias superciliosus (162678) | |
| Late/Upper Miocene | Panama (Panama) | Alopias superciliosus (191995 191996) Alopias vulpinus (191987 191998) | |
| Messinian | Portugal | Alopias superciliosus (65954 91423) | |
| Zanclean | USA (North Carolina) | Alopias vulpinus (52582) | |
| Zanclean | Spain (Huelva) | Alopias vulpinus (151890) | |
| Zanclean | Libya | Alopias vulpinus (136597) | |
| Zanclean | South Africa | Alopias vulpinus (100313) | |
| Zanclean | Italy | Alopias superciliosus (204946) Alopias vulpinus (276542) | |
| Pliocene | North Atlantic | Alopias grandis (278446 278448) | |
| Pliocene - Gelasian | USA (Florida) | Alopias vulpinus (242028) | |
| Late/Upper Pliocene | Argentina (Buenos Aires) | Alopecias latidens (213136) | |
| Piacenzian | Italy | Alopias superciliosus (277335) | |
| Piacenzian | Peru | Alopias sp. (219058) | |
| Piacenzian - Gelasian | USA (California) | Alopias sp. (277711) | |
| Early/Lower Pleistocene | USA (South Carolina) | Alopias vulpinus (188304) | |
| Calabrian | Peru (Ica) | Alopias sp. (219059) | |
| Late/Upper Pleistocene | USA (California) | Alopias vulpinus (59063 190889) | |
| Holocene | USA (California) | Alopias vulpinus (276600) |