Obaichthyidae

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Obaichthyidae
Temporal range: Aptian–Cenomanian
Obaichthys decoratus.JPG
Fossil of Obaichthys decoratus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Clade: Ginglymodi
Order: Lepisosteiformes
Superfamily: Lepisosteoidea
Family: Obaichthyidae
Grande, 2010
Genera

Obaichthyidae is an extinct family of ginglymodian ray-finned fish that lived in what is now Africa, South America, and southern Europe during the Cretaceous period (AptianCenomanian ages). They were close relatives of the modern gars of the family Lepisosteidae, with the two groups making up the superfamily Lepisosteoidea. [1]

They closely resembled gars, with one difference being their spiny scales, leading to the common name spiny gars. [2] [3] They also differ from extant gars in their highly specialized jaws, with a reduced maxilla leading to a prominent overbite, teeth concentrated at the tip, and a very small gape, indicating that they likely fed on small invertebrates, in contrast to all lepisosteids which are adapted to feed on other vertebrates. [4]

Like modern gars, they appear to have preferred freshwater & brackish environments but were tolerant of marine conditions, allowing them to disperse across oceanic habitats. Both confirmed genera have respective species in both South America and Africa, with the African Obaichthys species also being known from southern Europe. [5]

The family was erected in 2010 by Lance Grande to include the genera Dentilepisosteus and Obaichthys . [2] [6] In 2012, it was defined as a stem-based taxon containing all taxa more closely related to Obaichthys than to the genera Lepisosteus , Pliodetes or Lepidotes . [1] Afrocascudo , initially described as the earliest known armored catfish, might represent a juvenile obaichthyid, possibly a junior synonym of Obaichthys, [7] though this has been disputed based on the complete ossification of the bones indicating full maturity and the absence of important holostean characters. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catfish</span> Order of fish

Catfish are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia, the wels catfish of Eurasia, and the piraíba of South America, to detritivores, and even to a tiny parasitic species commonly called the candiru, Vandellia cirrhosa. Neither the armour-plated types nor the naked types have scales. Despite their name, not all catfish have prominent barbels or "whiskers". Members of the Siluriformes order are defined by features of the skull and swimbladder. Catfish are of considerable commercial importance; many of the larger species are farmed or fished for food. Many of the smaller species, particularly the genus Corydoras, are important in the aquarium hobby. Many catfish are nocturnal, but others are crepuscular or diurnal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semionotiformes</span> Extinct order of fishes

Semionotiformes is an order of ray-finned fish known from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) to the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian). Their closest living relatives are gars (Lepisosteidae), with both groups belonging to the clade Ginglymodi within the Holostei. The group includes both freshwater (Semionotidae) and marine adapted forms. Many members of the family Macrosemiidae, had elongated dorsal fins, often associated with an adjacent area of skin which was free of scales. These fins were likely undulated for use in precision swimming. The body morphology of macrosemiids suggests that they were slow swimmers who were capable of maneuvering around complex topography, such as reef environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gar</span> Family of fishes

Gars are an ancient group of ray-finned fish in the family Lepisosteidae. They comprise seven living species of fish in two genera that inhabit fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine waters of eastern North America, Central America and Cuba in the Caribbean, though extinct members of the family were more widespread. They are the only surviving members of the Ginglymodi, a clade of fish which first appeared during the Triassic, over 240 million years ago, and are one of only two surviving groups of holosteian fish, alongside the bowfins, which have a similar distribution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loricariidae</span> Largest family of catfish

Loricariidae is the largest family of catfish, with over 90 genera and just over 680 species. Loricariids originate from freshwater habitats of Costa Rica, Panama, and tropical and subtropical South America. These fish are noted for the bony plates covering their bodies and their suckermouths. Several genera are sold as "plecos", notably the suckermouth catfish, Hypostomus plecostomus, and are popular as aquarium fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lepisosteiformes</span> Order of fishes

Lepisosteiformes is an order of ray-finned fish and the only living members of the clade Ginglymodi. Its only extant representatives are the gar, and it is defined as all members of Ginglymodi that are more closely related to gar than to the extinct Semionotiformes, the other major grouping of ginglymodians. They are one of two extant orders in the infraclass Holostei alongside the Amiiformes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loricarioidea</span> Superfamily of fishes

Loricarioidea is a superfamily of catfishes. It contains the six families Trichomycteridae, Nematogenyiidae, Callichthyidae, Scoloplacidae, Astroblepidae, and Loricariidae. Some schemes also include Amphiliidae. This superfamily, including Amphiliidae, includes about 156 genera and 1,187 species.

<i>Belonostomus</i> Extinct genus of ray-finned fishes

Belonostomus is a genus of prehistoric ray-finned fish that was described by Louis Agassiz in 1844. It is a member of the order Aspidorhynchiformes, a group of fish known for their distinctive elongated rostrums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aspidorhynchidae</span> Extinct order of ray-finned fishes

Aspidorhynchidae is an extinct family of ray-finned fish from the Mesozoic Era. It is the only member of the monotypic order Aspidorhynchiformes. Members of the group are noted for their elongated, conical rostrums, of varying length, formed from fused premaxillae. The range of the group extends from the Middle Jurassic to the end of the Maastrichtian, with a potential record from the Late Paleocene. The family and order were described by Pieter Bleeker in 1859.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kem Kem Group</span> Geological group in eastern Morocco

The Kem Kem Group is a geological group in the Kem Kem region of eastern Morocco, whose strata date back to the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. Its strata are subdivided into two geological formations, with the lower Ifezouane Formation and the upper Aoufous Formation used for the strata on the eastern side of the Atlas Mountains (Tinghir), with the Gara Sbaa Formation and Douira Formation used in the southern Tafilalt region. It is exposed on an escarpment along the Algeria–Morocco border.

<i>Calamopleurus</i> Extinct genus of fishes

Calamopleurus is an prehistoric genus of marine holostean ray-finned fish from the Early Cretaceous of South America and northern Africa. It was a relative of the modern bowfin, with both belonging to the family Amiidae.

Lualabaea is an extinct genus of prehistoric freshwater coelacanth, belonging to the family Mawsoniidae, from the Jurassic period. It contains two species, L. lericheiSaint-Seine, 1955 and L. henryiSaint-Seine, 1955, both known from the Stanleyville Formation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It may be related to or possibly synonymous with Axelrodichthys.

<i>Corydoras revelatus</i> Extinct species of fish

Corydoras revelatus is an extinct species of callichthyid catfish known from a single specimen found in Late Paleocene strata of the Mais Gordo Formation in Salta, Argentina. According to chronological dating of the strata, the fossil specimen is about 58.2–58.5 million years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ginglymodi</span> Clade of ray-finned fishes

Ginglymodi is a clade of ray-finned fish containing modern-day gars (Lepisosteidae) and their extinct relatives in the order Lepisosteiformes, the extinct orders Semionotiformes and Kyphosichthyiformes, and various other extinct taxa. Ginglymodi is one of the two major subgroups of the infraclass Holostei, the other one being Halecomorphi, which contains the bowfin and eyespot bowfin and their fossil relatives.

<i>Araripelepidotes</i> Genus of semionotiform fish

Araripelepidotes is a genus of ginglymodian fish.

Cuneatus is an extinct genus of gar that inhabited western North America during the early Paleogene. As the genus name suggests, they are distinguishable from modern gar by their cuneate (wedge-shaped) heads, with a significantly shortened snout. Three species are known: C. cuneatus, C. maximus, and C. wileyi.

Oniichthys is an extinct genus of gar in the family Lepisosteidae. It contains a single species, O. falipoui, known from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Morocco.

<i>Grandemarinus</i> Extinct genus of gar

Grandemarinus is an extinct genus of gar from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco. It contains a single species, G. gherisensis. The genus name honors evolutionary biologist Lance Grande and references the species' apparent marine nature, while the specific epithet references Oued Gheris, a wadi near the type locality.

Afrocascudo is a controversial genus of extinct neopterygian fish, either an ancient loricariid catfish or a juvenile obaichthyid lepisosteiform of the genus Obaichthys. It is known from the Late Cretaceous Douira Formation of Morocco. The genus contains a single species, A. saharaensis, known from a partial articulated specimen.

The Akrabou Formation is a Late Cretaceous -aged geological formation and Konservat-Lagerstätte in Morocco. It overlies the slightly older freshwater deposits of the Kem Kem Group, which it was deposited over following the Kem Kem ecosystem's submergence by the Tethys Ocean during a marine transgression from the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event, as part of a wider deposition of carbonate platforms across the region from the event.

<i>Obaichthys</i> Extinct genus of fishes

Obaichthys is an extinct genus of lepisosteiform fish that inhabited South America, Africa, and southern Europe during the mid-Cretaceous period. It closely resembled modern gars, which it was related to, but differed in its spiny scales and restricted mouth gape. The genus name references the Yoruba spirit Ọba, who is worshiped in the Candomblé religion in Brazil.

References

  1. 1 2 López-Arbarello, A. (2012). "Phylogenetic Interrelationships of Ginglymodian Fishes (Actinopterygii: Neopterygii)". PLOS ONE. 7 (7): e39370. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...739370L. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039370 . PMC   3394768 . PMID   22808031.
  2. 1 2 Grande, Lance (2010). "An Empirical Synthetic Pattern Study of Gars (lepisosteiformes) and Closely Related Species, Based Mostly on Skeletal Anatomy. the Resurrection of Holostei". Copeia. 2010 (2A): iii–871. ISSN   0045-8511. JSTOR   20787269.
  3. Cooper, Samuel L. A.; Gunn, James; Brito, Paulo M.; Zouhri, Samir; Martill, David M. (2023-11-01). "A new fully marine, short-snouted lepisosteid gar from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) of North Africa". Cretaceous Research. 151: 105650. Bibcode:2023CrRes.15105650C. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105650 . ISSN   0195-6671. S2CID   259520870.
  4. Cavin, Lionel; Boudad, Larbi; Tong, Haiyan; Läng, Emilie; Tabouelle, Jérôme; Vullo, Romain (2015-05-27). "Taxonomic Composition and Trophic Structure of the Continental Bony Fish Assemblage from the Early Late Cretaceous of Southeastern Morocco". PLOS ONE. 10 (5): e0125786. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1025786C. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125786 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   4446216 . PMID   26018561.
  5. Pimentel, Ricardo; Barroso-Barcenilla, Fernando; Berrocal-Casero, Mélani; Callapez, Pedro Miguel; Ozkaya de Juanas, Senay; dos Santos, Vanda F. (2023). "On the Occurrence of the Gar Obaichthys africanus Grande in the Cretaceous of Portugal: Palaeoecological and Palaeobiogeographical Implications". Geosciences. 13 (12): 372. Bibcode:2023Geosc..13..372P. doi: 10.3390/geosciences13120372 . ISSN   2076-3263.
  6. Brito, P. M.; Lindoso, R. M.; Carvalho, I. S.; de Paula Machado, G. (2016). "Discovery of †Obaichthyidae gars (Holostei, Ginglymodi, Lepisosteiformes) in the Aptian Codó Formation of the Parnaíba Basin: Remarks on paleobiogeographical and temporal range". Cretaceous Research. 59: 10–17. Bibcode:2016CrRes..59...10B. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2015.10.017.
  7. Britz, R.; Pinion, Amanda K.; Kubicek, Kole M.; Conway, Kevin W. (2024). "Comment on "A Saharan fossil and the dawn of Neotropical armoured catfishes in Gondwana" by Brito et al". Gondwana Research. 133: 267–269. Bibcode:2024GondR.133..267B. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2024.06.014.
  8. Brito, Paulo M.; Dutheil, Didier B.; Keith, Philippe; Carnevale, Giorgio; Meunier, François J.; Khalloufi, Bouziane; Gueriau, Pierre (2024). "A reply to a comment on Brito et al., 2024, A Saharan fossil and the dawn of the Neotropical armoured catfishes in Gondwana by Britz, Pinion, Kubicek and Conway". Gondwana Research. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2024.06.013.