Parachanna fayumensis
Encyclopedia
Parachanna fayumensis, is an extinct member of the snakehead fish (Channidae
) family known from fossil records only. It is the oldest member of this family known from Africa. It differs from Parachanna insignis, P. africana
and P. obscura by presence of prominent raised tooth patch with well-developed tooth sockets on a ventral surface of parasphenoid posterior end. Several skull bones were found in the upper Eocene
and lower Oligocene
Jebel Qatrani Formation
of the Fayum Depression, Egypt.
The zoogeographic importance of this fossil material is that it suggests a Channid migration from India to Africa long before the Miocene
.
Channidae
The Snakeheads are members of the freshwater perciform fish family Channidae, native to Africa and Asia. These elongated predatory fish are distinguished by a long dorsal fin, large mouth and shiny teeth. They breathe air with a suprabranchial organ, a primitive form of a labyrinth organ...
) family known from fossil records only. It is the oldest member of this family known from Africa. It differs from Parachanna insignis, P. africana
Parachanna africana
Parachanna africana, commonly known as the African snakehead or Niger snakehead, is a species of fish from west-central Africa. Little is published on its biology...
and P. obscura by presence of prominent raised tooth patch with well-developed tooth sockets on a ventral surface of parasphenoid posterior end. Several skull bones were found in the upper Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
and lower Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
Jebel Qatrani Formation
Jebel Qatrani Formation
The Jebel Qatrani Formation is a palaeontological formation located in Egypt. It dates to the Eocene-Oligocene period....
of the Fayum Depression, Egypt.
The zoogeographic importance of this fossil material is that it suggests a Channid migration from India to Africa long before the Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
.