Pteronisculus Temporal range: | |
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Pteronisculus fossil at the Geological Museum, Copenhagen | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Family: | † Turseoidae (?) |
Genus: | † Pteronisculus White, 1933 |
Type species | |
†Pteronisculus cicatrosus White, 1933 | |
Other species | |
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Synonyms | |
†Glaucolepis Stensiö, 1921 [2] (non Glaucolepis Braun, 1917) Contents |
Pteronisculus is an extinct genus of prehistoric ray-finned fish that lived during the Early Triassic and Middle Triassic epochs of the Triassic period worldwide. [3]
It was first described under the name "Glaucolepis" by Erik Stensiö in 1921 and was later shown to be a synonym of Pteronisculus described by Errol White in 1933. However, because the name "Glaucolepis" is preoccupied (it had already been given to the extant lepidopteran insect Glaucolepis Braun, 1917), Pteronisculus became the valid genus name for the Triassic fish. [2]
Like many other early ray-finned fishes, Pteronisculus had a bullet-shaped skull with large eyes near the front end, and a large gape armed with small to large, conical teeth. Its body was covered with small rhombic scales that show peg-and-socket articulation. Pteronisculus had enlarged pectoral fins and small pelvic fins. The dorsal and anal fins were virtually opposed to each other. The caudal fin was heterocercal. [3] [4]
Pteronisculus had a wide geographic range during the Early Triassic. [1] Fossils were collected in Greenland, Madagascar, Spitsbergen and the United States. It is possibly also present in the Early Triassic of British Columbia, Canada; a species described as Acrolepis laetus by Lawrence Lambe has been tentatively referred to Pteronisculus. From the Middle Triassic, it is only known from South China. [3] [4] [5] Its occurrence in the Permian of South Africa has been questioned. [3] About 13 species have been described to date, ranging from 11 centimetres (0.36 ft) to 40 centimetres (1.3 ft) in length.
Pteronisculus was originally referred to the family Palaeoniscidae, but was removed due to differences to Palaeoniscum . [4] Based on similarities with the Late Triassic Turseodus , it was provisionally included in Turseoidae. [3] A synapomorphy of Pteronisculus and Turseodus is the tooth-bearing lachrymal. However, Turseodus is incompletely known and a close relationship with Pteronisculus has not yet been tested with a cladistic analysis. In the cladistic analysis by Ren & Xu, [5] Pteronisculus was recovered in a sister group relationship with the Carboniferous Cyranorhis , a genus that has been referred to the probably paraphyletic family Rhadinichthyidae.
The Amiiformes order of fish has only two extant species, the bowfins: Amia calva and Amia ocellicauda, the latter recognized as a separate species in 2022. These Amiiformes are found in the freshwater systems of North America, in the United States and parts of southern Canada. They live in freshwater streams, rivers, and swamps. The order first appeared in the Triassic, and the extinct members include both marine and freshwater species, many of which are morphologically disparate from bowfins, such as the caturids.
Perleidus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Triassic period. Fossils have been found in the Middle Triassic of Italy, Switzerland, and China. The inclusion of Early Triassic species in the genus Perleidus was questioned.
Changxingia is a genus of prehistoric lobe-finned fish that belonged to the coelacanth family Mawsoniidae. It lived during the Late Permian in Zhejiang, southern China. It contains two species, C. aspiratilis and C. weii, which were named in 1981 and 1997 from specimens found at the same locality. They are the first Permian marine coelacanths found in Asia.
Helmolepis is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived during the Early Triassic epoch in what is now Greenland, Madagascar and Canada. Species of Helmolepis are small. This genus is closely related with Platysiagum.
Luganoia is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived during the Anisian and Ladinian ages of the Middle Triassic epoch. Fossils were recovered from the Besano Formation of Monte San Giorgio and Besano area and from the Zhuganpo Member of Guizhou, South China. It was also reported from the Ladinian of Spain.
Ctenognathichthys is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived during the Anisian and Ladinian ages of the Middle Triassic epoch in what is now southern/southeastern Switzerland and northern Italy.
Fukangichthys is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived during the Rhaetian stage of the Late Triassic epoch.
Cyranorhis is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish that lived during the Serpukhovian age of the Carboniferous period in what is now Montana, United States.
Peipiaosteus is an extinct genus of prehistoric chondrostean ray-finned fish. Its fossils are found in the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation, Pani Lake, Liaoning Province, China.
The Guanling Formation is a Middle Triassic geologic formation in southwestern China.
Sinosaurichthys is an extinct genus of saurichthyid ray-finned fish, which existed in southwestern China during the Middle Triassic. Fossils have been found in the Upper Member of the Guanling Formation of two localities: Yangjuan of Panxian County, Guizhou Province, and Dawazi of Luoping, Yunnan Province, China.
Thoracopteridae is an extinct family of prehistoric bony fish; classified with the order Peltopleuriformes. This lineage of Triassic flying fish-like Perleidiformes converted their pectoral and pelvic fins into broad wings very similar to those of their modern counterparts. However, this group is not related to modern flying fish from the family Exocoetidae, instead being a case of convergent evolution.
Chuhsiungichthys is an extinct genus of ichthyodectiform ray-finned fish that lived in freshwater environments in what is now Yunnan, China, and Kyushu, Japan, during the Cretaceous. It differs from its sister genus, Mesoclupea, primarily by having a comparatively more anteriorly-placed dorsal fin.
This list of fossil fishes described in 2014 is a list of new taxa of placoderms, fossil cartilaginous fishes and bony fishess of every kind that have been described during the year 2014, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleontology of fishes that occurred in the year 2014. The list only includes taxa at the level of genus or species.
The Zhuganpo Formation is a Triassic geologic unit found in southern China. It has historically been known as the Zhuganpo Member of the Falang Formation. A diverse fossil assemblage known as the Xingyi biota or Xingyi Fauna can be found in the upper part of the Zhuganpo Formation. Fossils of the Xingyi biota include articulated skeletons of marine reptiles, abundant fish, and a plentiful assortment of invertebrates indicating a Ladinian to Carnian age for the sediments of the formation.
Ginglymodi is a clade of ray-finned fish containing modern-day gars (Lepisosteidae) and their extinct relatives, including the family Lepidotidae and the 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 its fossil relatives.
Teffichthys is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Early Triassic epoch. Fossils have been found in Madagascar and China, and possibly also in Angola, Canada, Greenland, and Svalbard.
Turseodus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish found in Late Triassic freshwater sediments of the United States. Two species have been described, T. acutus from the Lockatong Formation of Pennsylvania, and T. dolorensis from the Chinle Formation of Colorado.
Luopingosaurus is an extinct genus of pachypleurosaurid sauropterygian from the Middle Triassic Guanling Formation of Yunnan Province, China. The genus contains a single species, L. imparilis, known from a well-preserved, nearly complete skeleton.
Robustichthys is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Middle Triassic period, contains only one species R. luopingensis. It belonged to the clade Halecomorphi, which were once diverse during the Mesozoic Era, but which are today represented by only a single species, the bowfin. Halecomorphs are holosteans, a clade which first appeared in the fossil record during the Triassic.