| Albertonia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A. cupidinia from Wapiti Lake (B.C.), on display at the ROM | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | † Parasemionotiformes |
| Family: | † Parasemionotidae |
| Genus: | † Albertonia Gardiner, 1966 |
| Type species | |
| Albertonia cupidinia Lambe, 1916 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Albertonia is a genus of extinct fish. Fossils have been found in the western Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, dating to the Early Triassic period. [1] [2]
The type specimen (NMC 757) came from Alberta, in the Sulphur Mountain Formation. The only species, Albertonia cupidinia, was originally described in 1916 as a species of Elonichthys by Lawrence Lambe, who then later reassigned it to the genus Dollopterus . In 1966, Brian Gardiner found that the species was not referable to either genus, and thus erected the genus Albertonia. He assigned the genus to Perleididae. [2] [3] In 1976, Schaeffer and Mangus reassigned the genus to Parasemionotidae after better preserved specimens were discovered. [3] [4]
Albertonia had peculiarly large pectoral fins. [2] Its deep fusiform body, broad tail peduncle, and well developed tail fin suggest that it was a slow but strong swimmer. It was weakly toothed and appears to have lacked pharyngeal teeth. [4]
