Revised 12 Nov. 2022
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Odontaspis Agassiz 1838 etymology not explained, presumably odontos, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), and aspís (Gr. ἀσπίς), shield, perhaps referring to how teeth comprise a prominent narrow cusp provided with two or more small “side teeth” (translation), i.e., cusplets, which, with some imagination, could be said to “shield” the main cusp; another explanation is that aspis means asp, perhaps referring to outwardly pointing teeth of O. ferox, like those of an asp or viper

Odontaspis ferox (Risso 1810) Latin for fierce, possibly referring to what Risso described as its “La voracité extrême” and/or its toothy and ferocious countenance

Odontaspis noronhai (Maul 1955) in honor of Adolfo César de Noronha (1873–1963), late director of the Funchal Museum (Madeira), where holotype is housed