Prehistoric fish
Encyclopedia
Prehistoric fish refers to early fish that are known only from fossil
records. They are the earliest known vertebrate
s, and include the first and extinct fish that lived through the Cambrian
to the Tertiary
. The study of prehistoric fish is called paleoichthyology. A few living forms, such as the coelacanth
are also referred to as prehistoric fish, or even living fossil
s, due to their current rarity and similarity to extinct forms. Fish which have become recently extinct are not usually referred to as prehistoric fish.
The first fish and the first vertebrate
s, were the ostracoderms, which appeared in the Cambrian
Period, about 510 million years ago, and became extinct near the end of the Devonian
, about 377 million years ago. Ostracoderms were jawless fishes found mainly in fresh water. They were covered with a bony armor or scales and were often less than 30 cm (1 ft) long. The ostracoderms are placed in the class Agnatha
along with the living jawless fishes, the lamprey
s and hagfish
es, which are believed to be descended from the ostracoderms, as are all jawed fishes, or gnathostomes. Paired fins, or limbs, first evolved within this group.
The placoderms, a group of jawed fishes, appeared by the beginning of the Devonian
, about 416 million years ago, and became extinct at the end of the Devonian
or the beginning of the Mississippian (Carboniferous
), about 360 million years ago. Recent studies suggest that the placoderms are a possibly paraphyletic group of basal gnathostomes, and the closest relatives of all living jawed vertebrates. Some Placoderms were small, flattened bottom-dwellers, such as antiarchs. However, many, particularly the arthrodires, were active midwater predators. Dunkleosteus
was the largest and most famous of these. The upper jaw was firmly fused to the skull, but there was a hinge joint between the skull and the bony plating of the trunk region. This allowed the upper part of the head to be thrown back and, in arthrodires, this allowed them to take larger bites.
The acanthodians, or spiny shark
s, appeared by the late Silurian
, about 420 million years ago, and became extinct before the end of the Permian
, about 250 million years ago. However, scales and teeth attributed to this group, as well as more derived gnathostomes such as Chondrichthyes
and Osteichthyes
, date from the Ordovician
(~460 million years ago). Acanthodians were generally small shark-like fishes varying from toothless filter-feeders to toothed predators. They were once often classified as an order of the class Placodermi
, another group of primitive fishes, but recent authorities tend to place the acanthodians nearer to or within the living gnathostomes.
Cartilaginous fishes, class Chondrichthyes
, consisting of shark
s, rays
and chimaera
s, appeared by about 395 million years ago, in the middle Devonian
. The modern bony fishes, class Osteichthyes
, appeared in the late Silurian
or early Devonian
, about 416 million years ago. Both the Osteichthyes and Chondrichthyes may have arisen from either the acanthodians or placodermi. A subclass of the Osteichthyes, the ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii
), have become the dominant group of fishes in the post-Paleozoic and modern world, with some 30,000 living species. However, another subclass of Osteichthyes, the Sarcopterygii
, including lobe-finned fishes including coelacanth
s and lungfish
) and tetrapods, was the most diverse group of bony fishes in the Devonian. Sarcopterygians are basally characterized by internal nostrils, lobe fins containing a robust internal skeleton, and cosmoid scales.
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
records. They are the earliest known vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s, and include the first and extinct fish that lived through the Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
to the Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
. The study of prehistoric fish is called paleoichthyology. A few living forms, such as the coelacanth
Coelacanth
Coelacanths are members of an order of fish that includes the oldest living lineage of Sarcopterygii known to date....
are also referred to as prehistoric fish, or even living fossil
Living fossil
Living fossil is an informal term for any living species which appears similar to a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives, or a group of organisms which have long fossil records...
s, due to their current rarity and similarity to extinct forms. Fish which have become recently extinct are not usually referred to as prehistoric fish.
Overview
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s, were the ostracoderms, which appeared in the Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
Period, about 510 million years ago, and became extinct near the end of the Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
, about 377 million years ago. Ostracoderms were jawless fishes found mainly in fresh water. They were covered with a bony armor or scales and were often less than 30 cm (1 ft) long. The ostracoderms are placed in the class Agnatha
Agnatha
Agnatha is a superclass of jawless fish in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata. The group excludes all vertebrates with jaws, known as gnathostomes....
along with the living jawless fishes, the lamprey
Lamprey
Lampreys are a family of jawless fish, whose adults are characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Translated from an admixture of Latin and Greek, lamprey means stone lickers...
s and hagfish
Hagfish
Hagfish, the clade Myxini , are eel-shaped slime-producing marine animals . They are the only living animals that have a skull but not a vertebral column. Along with lampreys, hagfish are jawless and are living fossils whose next nearest relatives include all vertebrates...
es, which are believed to be descended from the ostracoderms, as are all jawed fishes, or gnathostomes. Paired fins, or limbs, first evolved within this group.
The placoderms, a group of jawed fishes, appeared by the beginning of the Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
, about 416 million years ago, and became extinct at the end of the Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
or the beginning of the Mississippian (Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
), about 360 million years ago. Recent studies suggest that the placoderms are a possibly paraphyletic group of basal gnathostomes, and the closest relatives of all living jawed vertebrates. Some Placoderms were small, flattened bottom-dwellers, such as antiarchs. However, many, particularly the arthrodires, were active midwater predators. Dunkleosteus
Dunkleosteus
Dunkleosteus is a genus of prehistoric fish, one of the largest arthrodire placoderms ever to have lived, existing during the Late Devonian period, about 380-360 million years ago.This hunter, measuring up to and weighing , was a hypercarnivorous apex predator...
was the largest and most famous of these. The upper jaw was firmly fused to the skull, but there was a hinge joint between the skull and the bony plating of the trunk region. This allowed the upper part of the head to be thrown back and, in arthrodires, this allowed them to take larger bites.
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s, appeared by the late Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
, about 420 million years ago, and became extinct before the end of the Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
, about 250 million years ago. However, scales and teeth attributed to this group, as well as more derived gnathostomes such as Chondrichthyes
Chondrichthyes
Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fishes are jawed fish with paired fins, paired nares, scales, two-chambered hearts, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone...
and Osteichthyes
Osteichthyes
Osteichthyes , also called bony fish, are a taxonomic group of fish that have bony, as opposed to cartilaginous, skeletons. The vast majority of fish are osteichthyes, which is an extremely diverse and abundant group consisting of over 29,000 species...
, date from the Ordovician
Ordovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
(~460 million years ago). Acanthodians were generally small shark-like fishes varying from toothless filter-feeders to toothed predators. They were once often classified as an order of the class Placodermi
Placodermi
Placodermi is a class of armoured prehistoric fish, known from fossils, which lived from the late Silurian to the end of the Devonian Period. Their head and thorax were covered by articulated armoured plates and the rest of the body was scaled or naked, depending on the species. Placoderms were...
, another group of primitive fishes, but recent authorities tend to place the acanthodians nearer to or within the living gnathostomes.
Cartilaginous fishes, class Chondrichthyes
Chondrichthyes
Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fishes are jawed fish with paired fins, paired nares, scales, two-chambered hearts, and skeletons made of cartilage rather than bone...
, consisting of shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s, rays
Batoidea
Batoidea is a superorder of cartilaginous fish commonly known as rays and skates, containing more than 500 described species in thirteen families...
and chimaera
Chimaera
Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes, known informally as ghost sharks, ratfish , spookfish , or rabbitfishes...
s, appeared by about 395 million years ago, in the middle Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
. The modern bony fishes, class Osteichthyes
Osteichthyes
Osteichthyes , also called bony fish, are a taxonomic group of fish that have bony, as opposed to cartilaginous, skeletons. The vast majority of fish are osteichthyes, which is an extremely diverse and abundant group consisting of over 29,000 species...
, appeared in the late Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
or early Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
, about 416 million years ago. Both the Osteichthyes and Chondrichthyes may have arisen from either the acanthodians or placodermi. A subclass of the Osteichthyes, the ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii
Actinopterygii
The Actinopterygii or ray-finned fishes constitute a class or sub-class of the bony fishes.The ray-finned fishes are so called because they possess lepidotrichia or "fin rays", their fins being webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines , as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize...
), have become the dominant group of fishes in the post-Paleozoic and modern world, with some 30,000 living species. However, another subclass of Osteichthyes, the Sarcopterygii
Sarcopterygii
The Sarcopterygii or lobe-finned fishes – sometimes considered synonymous with Crossopterygii constitute a clade of the bony fishes, though a strict classification would include the terrestrial vertebrates...
, including lobe-finned fishes including coelacanth
Coelacanth
Coelacanths are members of an order of fish that includes the oldest living lineage of Sarcopterygii known to date....
s and lungfish
Lungfish
Lungfish are freshwater fish belonging to the Subclass Dipnoi. Lungfish are best known for retaining characteristics primitive within the Osteichthyes, including the ability to breathe air, and structures primitive within Sarcopterygii, including the presence of lobed fins with a well-developed...
) and tetrapods, was the most diverse group of bony fishes in the Devonian. Sarcopterygians are basally characterized by internal nostrils, lobe fins containing a robust internal skeleton, and cosmoid scales.
Jawless fish
- ArandaspisArandaspisArandaspis prionotolepis is an extinct species of jawless fish that lived in the Ordovician period, about 480 to 470 million years ago. It is the oldest known vertebrate....
- AstraspisAstraspisAstraspis is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish from the Ordovician of Central North America and Bolivia . It is related to other Ordovician fishes, such as the South American Sacabambaspis, and the Australian Arandaspis.-Basic Anatomy:Astraspids are hypothesized to have been about 200mm...
- BoreaspisBoreaspisBoreaspis is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish that lived in the Devonian period.Fourteen different species of Boreaspis have been found in sandstone of the lagoons and estuaries of Devonian Spitsbergen....
- DartmuthiaDartmuthiaDartmuthia is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish that lived in the Silurian period in what is now Estonia.To date only the creature's armored head shield has been found. Since the mouth is positioned on the underside of the head Dartmuthia is presumed to have dwelled on the ocean floor,...
- DoryaspisDoryaspisDoryaspis is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish that lived in the Devonian period. Fossils have been discovered in Spitsbergen....
- Drepanaspis
- ErrivaspisErrivaspisErrivaspis is an extinct genus of pteraspid heterostracan that lived in the Early Devonian period.-Description:Errivaspis had large dorsal plates and ventral plates, the linking branchial plate, as well as a cornual plate at the side, an orbital plate around the eye...
- HaikouichthysHaikouichthysHaikouichthys is an extinct genus of craniate believed to have lived c. 530 million years ago, during the Cambrian explosion of multicellular life...
- HemicyclaspisHemicyclaspisHemicyclaspis is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish, closely related to Cephalaspis, that lived in the Devonian period in what is now Europe and North America....
- JamoytiusJamoytiusJamoytius kerwoodi was a species of primitive, eel-like jawless fish that lived in the Silurian period.J. kerwoodi is the earliest known anaspid.. It had long, paired fins running along its body - making it a good swimmer. J. kerwoodi resembled a lamprey, especially with its rounded mouth and...
- MyllokunmingiaMyllokunmingiaMyllokunmingia is a chordate from the Lower Cambrian Maotianshan shales of China, thought to be a vertebrate, although this is not conclusively proven. It is 28 mm long and 6 mm high....
- PikaiaPikaiaPikaia gracilens is an extinct animal known from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale of British Columbia. -Discovery:It was discovered by Charles Walcott and was first described by him in 1911. It was named after Pika Peak, a mountain in Alberta, Canada. Based on the obvious and regular segmentation...
- PharyngolepisPharyngolepisPharyngolepis is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish that lived in the Silurian period of what is now Norway.Pharyngolepis had well-developed anal an caudal fins, but no paired or dorsal fins that would have helped stabilise it in the water, and so was probably a poor swimmer, remaining...
- PromissumPromissumPromissum is an extinct genus of primitive chordate that lived in the Ordovician period, about 500 million years ago.A conodont, Promissum had a primitive mouth under its eyes with mineralized teeth, which are both typical for conodonts, and also a primitive backbone...
- PteraspisPteraspisPteraspis is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish that lived in the Devonian period of what is now Britain and Belgium....
- ThelodusThelodusThelodus is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish that lived in the Silurian period. Fossils have been found worldwide.Thelodus belonged to the Thelodonti, a group of jawless fish lacking the armored plating characteristic of the related Heterostraci. The position of Thelodus`s mouth suggests...
- TremataspisTremataspisTremataspis is an extinct genus of primitive jawless fish from the Silurian period of what is now Estonia.An osteostracid, Tremataspis was about in length, and had an armored shield covering its head. Compared with its relatives, the shield was unusually elongated, covering the whole front of the...
Placoderms
- BothriolepisBothriolepisBothriolepis was the most successful genus of antiarch placoderms, if not the most successful genus of any placoderm, with over 100 species found on every continent.-Description and palaeobiology:...
- CoccosteusCoccosteusCoccosteus is an extinct genus of arthrodire placoderm. Its fossils have been found throughout Europe and North America. The majority of these have been found in freshwater sediments, though, such a large range suggests that they may have been able to enter saltwater...
- CtenurellaCtenurellaCtenurella is an extinct genus of ptyctodont placoderm from the Late Devonian of Germany .As with other ptyctodonts, the armor of Ctenurella was reduced to a few thin plates on the head and shoulder region. It was also relatively small for a placoderm, at just in length...
- DunkleosteusDunkleosteusDunkleosteus is a genus of prehistoric fish, one of the largest arthrodire placoderms ever to have lived, existing during the Late Devonian period, about 380-360 million years ago.This hunter, measuring up to and weighing , was a hypercarnivorous apex predator...
- Gemuendina
- GroenlandaspisGroenlandaspisGroenlandaspis is an extinct genus of armored placoderm.Groenlandaspis was a member of the Order Arthrodira, the most successful group of placoderms which also included the superpredator Dunkleosteus...
- MaterpiscisMaterpiscisMaterpiscis is a genus of ptyctodontid placoderm from the Late Devonian located at the Gogo Formation of Western Australia...
- PalaeospondylusPalaeospondylusPalaeospondylus gunni is a mysterious, fish-like fossil vertebrate. Its fossils are described from Achannaras slate quarry in Caithness, Scotland....
- PterichthyodesPterichthyodesPterichthyodes is a genus of placoderm fishes from the Devonian period, now all extinct. They were one of the first species recognized for what they were, as their fossils are common in the Old Red Sandstone formation studied by geologists in the early 19th century...
Acanthodians
- AcanthodesAcanthodesAcanthodes is an extinct genus of spiny shark. Fossils have been found in Europe, North America, and Australia....
- Culmacanthus
- IschnacanthusIschnacanthusIschnacanthus is an extinct genus of fish in class of Acanthodii. Ischnacanthus lived during the Early Devonian period. The Ischnacanthus have jaws but still have small mosaic scales. They either had very small teeth or none. Fossils were found in Tillywhandland Quarry, Forfar,...
- CheiracanthusCheiracanthusCheiracanthus is an extinct genus of a group of fish called Acanthodii . It was a deep-bodied acanthodian about 12 in. in length. It had a blunt head, upturned tail, and fins protected by spines. Unlike many other acanthodians, it had one, solitary dorsal fin...
Cartilaginous fish
- Aellopos
- Carcharocles chubutensisCarcharocles chubutensisCarcharocles chubutensis is a prehistoric megatoothed shark that lived during Oligocene, Miocene, and Pliocene epochs, approximately about 28 - 5 million years ago. This shark is considered to be a close relative of another prehistoric megatoothed shark, C. megalodon. However, as is the case with C...
- Carcharocles angustidens
- CladoselacheCladoselacheCladoselache is a genus of extinct shark. It appeared in the Devonian period.This primitive shark grew to be up to long and roamed the oceans of North America. It is known to have been a fast moving and fairly agile predator due to its streamlined body and deep forked tail...
- CobelodusCobelodusCobelodus is an extinct genus of shark that lived in the Middle to Late Carboniferous period in what is today Illinois and Iowa.Cobelodus was a long predator. Although it was a shark, Cobelodus had a number of differences from modern forms. It had a bulbous head, large eyes, a high-arched back,...
- Cretoxyrhina
- DeltoptychiusDeltoptychiusDeltoptychius is an extinct species of cartaliginous fish related to the modern chimaeras. It lived in the Carboniferous period of present-day Europe....
- HeliobatisHeliobatisHeliobatis is an extinct genus of ray in the Myliobatiformes family Dasyatidae. At present the genus contains the single species Heliobatis radians....
- HelicoprionHelicoprionHelicoprion was a long-lived genus of shark-like cartilaginous fish that first arose in the oceans of the late Carboniferous , survived the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event, and eventually went extinct during the early Triassic some ....
- HybodusHybodusHybodus is an extinct genus of once-common, widespread and long lived sharks, first appearing towards the end of the Permian period, and disappearing at the beginning of the Cretaceous. During the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods the hybodonts were especially successful and could be...
- IschyodusIschyodusIschyodus is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish belonging to the subclass Holocephali, which includes the modern-day chimaeras. Fossils are known from Europe , North America, and New Zealand....
- Carcharocles megalodonMegalodonThe megalodon and ὀδούς ) is an extinct species of shark that lived roughly from 28 to 1.5 million years ago, during the Cenozoic Era .The taxonomic assignment of C...
- Otodus obliquusOtodus obliquusOtodus obliquus is an extinct mackerel shark which lived during the Paleocene and Eocene epochs, approximately about 60 to 37.5 million years ago.-Known physiology:This shark is known from the fossil teeth and fossilized vertebral centra...
- ScapanorhynchusScapanorhynchusScapanorhynchus is an extinct genus of shark from the Cretaceous era. Their extreme similarities to the living goblin shark, Mitsukurina owstoni, lead some experts to consider reclassifying it as Scapanorhynchus owstoni...
- SclerorhynchusSclerorhynchusSclerorhynchus is an extinct genus of primitive batoidean that lived in the Cretaceous. The namesake of the Mesozoic suborder Sclerorhynchoidea, it is not quite clear whether they were closer to the Rajiformes or to the Pristiformes . Its fossils have been found mainly around the Mediterranean...
- SpathobathisSpathobathisSpathobathis is an extinct genus of ray from the Jurassic period of Europe.Spathobathis had a body similar to that of a modern guitarfish, being highly flattened and widened, specializing the creature for a life on the ocean floor. Although it is one of the earliest known fossil rays, it already...
- SqualicoraxSqualicoraxSqualicorax is a genus of extinct lamniform shark known to have lived during the Cretaceous period. A fully articulated 1.9 m long fossil skeleton of Squalicorax has been found in Kansas, evidence of its presence in the Western Interior Seaway...
- StethacanthusStethacanthusStethacanthus is an extinct genus of shark which lived in the Early Carboniferous epoch, around 360 million years ago. Fossils have been found in Europe and North America....
- TristychiusTristychiusTristychius is an extinct genus of shark from the Carboniferous period. Fossils have been found in Scotland.Tristychius was a small shark, about long. It had a well-developed upturned caudal fin, similar to that of many modern sharks. Physically it may have resembled a modern dogfish...
- XenacanthusXenacanthusXenacanthus is a genus of prehistoric sharks. The first species of the genus lived in the later Devonian period, and they survived until the end of the Triassic, 202 million years ago. Fossils of various species have been found worldwide....
Basal ray-finned fish
- AspidorhynchusAspidorhynchusAspidorhynchus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Fossils have been found in Europe and Antarctica....
- CanobiusCanobiusCanobius is an extinct genus of early ray-finned fish that lived in the Carboniferous period of Europe.Canobius was a small fish, in length. Compared with its earlier relatives, it had specialized jaw bones and hyomandibulars which attached the upper jaw to the brain case, meaning that the jaws...
- CheirolepisCheirolepisCheirolepis is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived in the Devonian period of Europe and North America. It is the only genus yet known within the family Cheirolepidae and the order Cheirolepiformes...
- DapediumDapediumDapedium is an extinct genus of primitive neopterygian ray-finned fish. The first-described finding was an example of D. politum, found in the Lower Lias of Lyme Regis, on the Jurassic Coast of England...
- LepidotesLepidotesLepidotes is an extinct genus of neopterygian ray-finned fish from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Fossils have been found worldwide....
- MoythomasiaMoythomasiaMoythomasia is an extinct genus of early ray-finned fish from the Devonian period of Europe and Australia.Moythomasia was a small freshwater fish, long. It had relatively large eyes, presumably to find prey in murky water...
- PalaeoniscumPalaeoniscumPalaeoniscum is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Permian period of Europe and North America.Palaeoniscum had a torpedo-shaped body in length, with a deeply forked caudal fin and tall dorsal fin, indicating that it was a fast swimmer. It was probably an active predator, feeding on other...
- PerleidusPerleidusPerleidus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Triassic period. Fossils have been found worldwide.Perleidus was a freshwater predatory fish, about in length. Its jaws hung vertically under the braincase, allowing them to open wide, a feature it shared with the earlier palaeonisciform...
- PlatysomusPlatysomusPlatysomus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived in the Carboniferous and Permian periods. Fossils have been found worldwide....
- PycnodusPycnodusPycnodus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish ranging from the Cretaceous to Eocene periods. As its name suggests, it is the type genus of Pycnodontiformes....
- SaurichthysSaurichthysSaurichthys is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Triassic period. Fossils have been found worldwide.Saurichthys was an elongated, streamlined, fish about long, and looked similar to the modern pike. Its dorsal and anal fins were placed opposite each other wll back on the body, and the...
- SemionotusSemionotusSemionotus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish found throughout Northern Pangaea during the late Triassic, becoming extinct at the start of the Jurassic.-External links:...
Modern ray-finned fish (Teleosts)
- BerycopsisBerycopsisBerycopsis is an extinct genus of beardfish from the Cretaceous period.It was about long and one of the first members of the Acanthopterygii, the group that includes the present day barracuda, swordfish, seahorses, and flatfish...
- EnchodusEnchodusEnchodus is an extinct genus of bony fish. It flourished during the Upper Cretaceous and was small to medium in size. One of the genus' most notable attributes are the large "fangs" at the front of the upper and lower jaws and on the palatine bones, leading to its misleading nickname among fossil...
- EobothusEobothusEobothus is an extinct genus of flatfish from the Eocene period of China, India and Europe.Eobothus is significant as one of the earliest genera of flatfish, one of the last major fish groups to evolve. It closely resembled modern flatfish, with an oval-shaped body about long, surrounded by...
- GryouchusGryouchusGryouchus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish....
- GyrosteusGyrosteusGyrosteus mirabilis is an extinct ray-finned fish. It was found near Whitby and was about 5 m long....
- HypsidorisHypsidorisHypsidoris is an extinct genus of catfish, classified within its own family Hypsidoridae, from the Eocene epoch of North America.Hypsidoris was about long, and looked similar to the modern catfish, also possessing sensitive barbels used to detect prey in murky waters...
- HypsocormusHypsocormusHypsocormus is an extinct genus of teleost fish from the Jurassic period of Europe.Hypsocormus was a fast-swimming predatory fish about long, with a half moon-shaped caudal fin similar to that of a modern mackerel. It had a single dorsal fin, elongated pectoral fins and tiny pelvic fins about half...
- KnightiaKnightiaKnightia is an extinct genus of bony fish which lived in the fresh water lakes and rivers of North America during the Eocene epoch. It was named by David Starr Jordan in 1907, in honor of the late University of Wyoming professor Wilbur Clinton Knight, "an indefatigable student of the paleontology...
- LeptolepisLeptolepisLeptolepis is an extinct genus of teleost fish that lived in the Mesozoic era. It was one of the first teleosts.- Appearance :...
- PholidophorusPholidophorusPholidophorus is an extinct genus of teleost fish from the Triassic and Jurassic periods of Africa, Europe, and South America.Pholidophorus was a herring-like fish about long, although it was not closely related to modern herring. Like them, however, it had a single dorsal fin, a symmetrical tail,...
- ProtobramaProtobramaProtobrama is an extinct genus of teleost fish from the Cretaceous period of Lebanon.Protobrama was a small fish, only long, and is thought to have hunted around coral reefs. It had a deep body, with long dorsal and anal fins, but had no pelvic fin. The position of the pectoral fins high on the...
- SphenocephalusSphenocephalusSphenocephalus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived during the Cretaceous period. Fossils have been found in England and Italy....
- ThrissopsThrissopsThrissops is an extinct genus of teleost fish from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.Thrissops was a fast predatory fish about long, that fed on other bony fish. It had a streamlined body with a deeply cleft tail and only very small pelvic fins...
Lobe-finned fish
- ChinliaChinliaChinlea is an extinct genus of Triassic lobe-finned fish found in the Southwestern United States states of Arizona and New Mexico....
- DipnorhynchusDipnorhynchusDipnorhynchus is an extinct genus of lungfish from the middle Devonian period of Australia and Europe.Dipnorhynchus was a primitive lungfish, but still it had features that set it apart from other sarcopterygians. Its skull lacked the joint that divided the skull in two in rhipidists and...
- DipterusDipterusDipterus is an extinct genus of lungfish from the late Devonian period of Australia and Europe.In most respects, Dipterus, which was about long, closely resembled modern lungfish. Like its ancestor Dipnorhynchus, it had tooth-like plates on its palate instead of real teeth...
- EusthenopteronEusthenopteronEusthenopteron is a genus of prehistoric lobe-finned fish which has attained an iconic status from its close relationships to tetrapods. Early depictions of this animal show it emerging onto land, however paleontologists now widely agree that it was a strictly aquatic animal...
- GogonasusGogonasusGogonasus was a lobe-finned fish known from 3-dimensionally preserved 380 million-year-old fossils found from the Gogo Formation in Western Australia. It lived in the late Devonian period, on what was once a 1400 kilometre coral reef off the Kimberley coast surrounding the north-west of Australia...
- GriphognathusGriphognathusGriphognathus is an extinct genus of lungfish from the late Devonian period of Europe and Australia.Griphognathus was a specialized lungfish, about long, with an elongated snout. The lower jaw and palate were lined with tooth-like denticles. Like all other lungfish, its skin was covered by...
- GyroptychiusGyroptychiusGyroptychius is an extinct genus of coelacanthiform lobe-finned fish from the Devonian period.Gyroptychius was a fast riverine predator with an elongated body about long. As its eyes were relatively small, it is presumed to have hunted by smell rather than sight. Gyroptychius had short jaws which...
- HoloptychiusHoloptychiusHoloptychius is an extinct genus of porolepiform lobe-finned fish from the Devonian period. It is known from fossils worldwide.Holoptychius was streamlined predator about long, which fed on other bony fish. Its rounded scales and body form indicate that it could have swum quickly through the water...
- MacropomaMacropomaMacropoma is an extinct genus of coelacanth in the class Sarcopterygii. These fishes have apparently been extinct for over 70 million years and are most closely related to the modern coelacanth Latimeria....
- Osteolepsis
- StruniusStruniusStrunius is an extinct genus of lobe-finned fish from the Devonian period of Germany.Although it was a lobe-finned fish Struniuss fins were supported by fin rays, which are more associated with ray-finned fish. However, its skull was composed of two articulating halves, a feature characteristic of...