Description
Original diagnosis (for genus, monotypic) after Duffin, Lauer & Lauer, 2025 [34027]: Taxon known from large (up to 70 mm high) isolated but associated teeth only. Presumed lower teeth have spade-shaped crowns with straight, non-cuspidate cutting edges along the apical margin. The teeth are sigmoid in vertical section with a moderate to long, spoon-shaped central trough giving way to a low lingual heel basally. The crown height/crown width index is greater than 1 (i.e. the crowns are consistently longer than they are wide) and the central trough is equal to or less than the height of the lingual heel. V- to U-shaped transverse cristae cross the lingual heel and may display a deep V-shaped distortion centrally. The pathways of the cristae may break up or degenerate, especially in extreme lower laterals. The central axis of the crown follows that of the root in all but extreme lower laterals where the crown axis is deflected distally. The root is strongly demarcated from the crown and projects from the basolabial crown underside at an angle of declination of 20 °. Crown asymmetry increases away from the symphysis with the mesial corner of the crown being the highest. Presumed upper teeth have crowns which have a height/ crown width index that is less than 1 (i.e. the crowns are consistently wider than they are long). The root is relatively short, significantly less wide than the crown and projects from the underside of the crown at an angle of declination of around 30 °. The central trough is longer than the lingual heel. The apical margin is entire and linear in mesial and distal teeth but strongly denticulated or cuspidate in upper symphyseal teeth. Accessory cusplets may be present on the flanks of the major triangular cusps. Teeth were not shed from the jaws but retained throughout life.
The teeth of Batillodus can be distinguished from those of all other janassid petalodonts by details of their dignathic heterodonty and crown morphology. The entire, non-denticulated or non-cuspidate apical margin in the lower and upper lateral teeth of Batillodus separates it from the following petalodontiform genera in which these teeth show at least some denticulation: Strigilodus, ‘Janassa’ korni, Belantsea, Netsepoye, Siksika, Fissodopsis, and Obruchevodus. Batillodus lacks the thickened, upturned cusp of Cholodus, Cavusodus and Cypripediodens. Unlike Janassa, Batillodus possesses a dentition showing dignathic heterodonty, and the transverse cristae are U- or V-shaped as they pass across the lingual heel, rather than having straight trajectories.

Remarks
shark-references Species-ID=17536

References