Bobasatraniiformes

Bobasatraniiformes Temporal range: Late Pennsylvanian to Middle Triassic PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Restoration of Bobasatrania canadensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	† Bobasatraniiformes Berg, 1940
Families
† Bobasatraniidae Stensiö, 1932 † Dorypteridae Cope, 1877

Bobasatrania slab and counterslab fossils

Ebenaqua ritchei lived in Australia during the Permian

Dorypterus hoffmanni had a high dorsal fin

Bobasatraniiformes is an extinct order of durophagous ray-finned fish that existed from the late Carboniferous to the Middle Triassic in both marine and freshwater environments. The order includes two families: Bobasatraniidae, with the genera Bobasatrania , Ebenaqua , and Ecrinesomus , and Dorypteridae, comprising only the genus Dorypterus (monotypy). Two species from the late Carboniferous previously classified in Platysomus , "Platysomus" schultzei and "Platysomus" swaffordae, are now also thought to be early bobasatraniiformes. ^{[1] [2]} Bobasatraniiformes had a somewhat global distribution; fossils are found in Africa (Madagascar), Asia (Pakistan), Australia, Europe, and North America. ^[3]

Most bobasatraniiforms were small [25 centimetres (9.8 in) or less], but some species of Bobasatrania grew up to 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) long or larger. ^{[4] [5]} Bobasatraniiformes have a deepend body, a heterocercal caudal fin, and they often lack pelvic fins (present in Dorypterus, very small in Ebenaqua). Their dorsal and anal fins are often elongate (very elongate dorsal fin in Dorypterus). The body is covered in rhombic scales (scale cover reduced in Dorypterus). Their jaw bones lack teeth. Instead, they possessed strong tooth plates used to crush shelled prey animals similar to modern osteoglossomorphs (Teleostei). ^[2]

The evolutionary relationships of Bobasatraniiformes with other actinopterygians is not well known, but they are usually placed outside of Neopterygii. ^[6] A 2025 study found evidence for the order being the sister group to the Guildayichthyiformes from the Carboniferous, with their clade occupying an early-diverging position within the actinopterygian crown group. ^[1]

Bobasatraniiformes are one of the groups that survived the Permian-Triassic extinction event. ^[7]

Systematics

• Order †BobasatraniiformesBerg, 1940
  • "Platysomus" schultzei Zidek, 1992 ^[1]
  • "Platysomus" swaffordae Mickle & Bader, 2009 ^{[1] [8]}
  • Family †Bobasatraniidae Stensiö, 1932
    • Genus † Bobasatrania White, 1932 [†HaywardiaTanner, 1936; †LambeichthysLehman, 1956]
      • †Bobasatrania antiqua(Accordi, 1955) [†Paralepidotus antiquusAccordi, 1955; †Paralepidotus moroderiAccordi, 1955] ^[3]
      • †Bobasatrania canadensis(Lambe, 1914) [†Platysomus canadensisLambe, 1914; †Platysomus brewsteriWarren, 1936; †Haywardia jordaniTanner, 1936; †Lambeichthys canadensisLehman, 1956]
      • †Bobasatrania ceresiensisBürgin, 1992
      • †Bobasatrania groenlandicaStensiö, 1932
      • †Bobasatrania ladina(Accordi, 1955) [†Paralepidotus ladinusAccordi, 1955] ^[3]
      • †Bobasatrania mahavavicaWhite, 1932 (type species)
      • †Bobasatrania nathorsti(Stensiö, 1921) [†Platysomus nathorstiStensiö, 1921]
      • †Bobasatrania scutata(Gervais, 1852) [†Colobodus scutatusGervais, 1852] ^[3]
    • Genus † Ebenaqua Campbell & Phuoc, 1983
      • †Ebenaqua ritchieiCampbell & Phuoc, 1983 (type species)
    • Genus † Ecrinesomus Woodward, 1910
      • †Ecrinesomus dixoniWoodward, 1910 (type species)
  • Family †Dorypteridae Cope, 1877
    • Genus † Dorypterus Germar, 1842
      • †Dorypterus hoffmanniGermar, 1842 (type species)
      • †Dorypterus althausi(Münster, 1842)

Timeline of genera

References

• Paleontology portal
• Fish portal

1. Stack, Jack. "An ontological morphological phylogenetic framework for living and extinct ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)". The Anatomical Record. n/a (n/a). doi: 10.1002/ar.70090 . ISSN   1932-8494.
2. Giles, Sam; Kolmann, Matthew; Friedman, Matt (2025). "Tongue-bite apparatus highlights functional innovation in a 310-million-year-old ray-finned fish". Biology Letters. 21 (9). doi:10.1098/rsbl.2025.0270. ISSN   1744-957X. PMC   12405943 . PMID   40898813.
3. Böttcher, Ronald (2014). "Phyllodont tooth plates of Bobasatrania scutata (Gervais, 1852) (Actinoperygii, Bobasatraniiformes) from the Middle Triassic (Longobardian) Grenzbonebed of southern Germany and eastern France, with an overview of Triassic and Palaeozoic phyllodont tooth plates". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen. 274 (2–3): 291–311. doi:10.1127/njgpa/2014/0454.
4. Russell, Loris S. (1951). "Bobasatrania? canadensis (Lambe), a giant chondrostean fish from the Rocky Mountains". Annual Report of the National Museum of Canada, Bulletin. 123: 218–224.
5. Neuman, Andrew G. (2015). "Fishes from the Lower Triassic portion of the Sulphur Mountain Formation in Alberta, Canada: geological context and taxonomic composition". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 52 (8): 557–568. Bibcode:2015CaJES..52..557N. doi:10.1139/cjes-2014-0165.
6. Friedman, Matt (March 2015). "The early evolution of ray-finned fishes". Palaeontology. 58 (2): 213–228. Bibcode:2015Palgy..58..213F. doi: 10.1111/pala.12150 . S2CID   84881603.
7. Romano, Carlo; Koot, Martha B.; Kogan, Ilja; Brayard, Arnaud; Minikh, Alla V.; Brinkmann, Winand; Bucher, Hugo; Kriwet, Jürgen (February 2016). "Permian-Triassic Osteichthyes (bony fishes): diversity dynamics and body size evolution". Biological Reviews. 91 (1): 106–147. doi:10.1111/brv.12161. PMID   25431138. S2CID   5332637.
8. Mickle, Kathryn E.; Bader, Kenneth (2009). "A new platysomid from the Upper Carboniferous of Kansas (USA) and remarks on the systematics of deep-bodied lower actinopterygians" . Acta Zoologica. 90 (s1): 211–219. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.2008.00374.x. ISSN   1463-6395.

Additional sources

• Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2011-05-17.