Enchelurus

Not to be confused with Enchelyurus.

Enchelurus Temporal range: Cenomanian to Campanian [1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Superorder:	Elopomorpha
Genus:	† Enchelurus von der Marck 1863
Type species
†Enchelurus villosus von der Marck, 1863
Species
E. anglicusWoodward 1901 E. syriacusWoodward 1901 E. villosusvon der Marck 1863

Enchelurus (Greek for "eel tail") is an extinct genus of prehistoric marine ray-finned fish that lived during the Late Cretaceous. ^[1] It contains three species, known from the Cenomanian to Campanian of Europe and the Middle East. ^{[2] [3]}

The following species are known: ^{[2] [3]}

• E. anglicus Woodward, 1901 - mid-late Cenomanian of England (English Chalk) ^[4]
• E. syriacusWoodward, 1901 - Santonian of Lebanon (Sahel Alma)
• E. villosusvon der Marck, 1863 (type species) - Campanian of Germany (Baumberge Formation)

Its taxonomic affinity remains uncertain; it was initially classified as an early halosaur in the order Notacanthiformes, and continues to be treated as such by some authorities. However, other studies have found it to be an elopomorph related to the common ancestor of Anguilliformes and Notacanthiformes, ^{[5] [6] [7]} or even an early anguilliform itself. ^[8]

References

1. Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
2. "PBDB Taxon". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
3. Geology, British Museum (Natural History) Department of; Woodward, Arthur Smith (1901). Catalogue of the Fossil Fishes in the British Museum (Natural History): Actinopterygian Teleostomi of the suborders Isospondyli (in part), Ostariophysi, Apodes, Percesoces, Hemibranchii, Acanthopterygii, and Anacanthini. order of the Trustees.
4. Friedman, Matt; Beckett, Hermione T.; Close, Roger A.; Johanson, Zerina (2016). "The English Chalk and London Clay: two remarkable British bony fish Lagerstätten" . Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 430 (1): 165–200. doi:10.1144/SP430.18.
5. Belouze, Anne (2002). "Compréhension morphologique et phylogénétique des taxons actuels et fossiles rapportés aux anguilliformes ("poissons", téléostéens)". Travaux et Documents des Laboratoires de Géologie de Lyon. 158 (1): 3–401.
6. Belouze, Anne; Gayet, Mireille; Atallah, Claude (2003-07-01). "Les premiers Anguilliformes : II. Paraphylie du genre Urenchelys WOODWARD, 1900 et relations phylogénétiques" . Geobios. 36 (4): 351–378. doi:10.1016/S0016-6995(03)00036-6. ISSN   0016-6995.
7. Dornburg, Alex; Friedman, Matt; Near, Thomas J. (2015-08-01). "Phylogenetic analysis of molecular and morphological data highlights uncertainty in the relationships of fossil and living species of Elopomorpha (Actinopterygii: Teleostei)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 89: 205–218. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.04.004. ISSN   1055-7903.
8. Near, Thomas J.; Thacker, Christine E. (2024-04-18). "Phylogenetic Classification of Living and Fossil Ray-Finned Fishes (Actinopterygii)". Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History. 65 (1). doi:10.3374/014.065.0101. ISSN   0079-032X.