| Oniichthys Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Clade: | Ginglymodi |
| Order: | Lepisosteiformes |
| Family: | Lepisosteidae |
| Tribe: | Lepisosteini |
| Genus: | † Oniichthys Cavin & Brito, 2001 |
| Species: | †O. falipoui |
| Binomial name | |
| †Oniichthys falipoui Cavin & Brito, 2001 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
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. [1]
It is known from a few very well-preserved, near-complete specimens from the Kem Kem Formation, where it coexisted with the famous Spinosaurus . [2] It closely resembles the modern genus Atractosteus , and is generally placed as its sister genus, a sister to Atractosteus and Lepisosteus , or even as a species within Atractosteus as per Grande (2010), [3] although this latter view has been disputed based on differences in skull morphology. [4] [5]
The genus name references the Ooni, divine Yoruba kings, while the specific epithet honors Christian Falipou, who loaned one of the type specimens. [1]