Aipichthys Explained

Aipichthys is an extinct genus of bony fish that is possibly polyphyletic.^[1] Formerly classified in the Polymixiiformes, it is now thought to be a distant relative of oarfish and opahs.^{[2] [3]}

Species

Five species have traditionally placed within Aipichthys, but a redescription of the type species in 2016 suggested the genus to be polyphyletic, with only the type species as a member of the genus. The other four species were not moved out of the genus by the authors and were referred as `Aipichthys`.

• Aipichthys pretiosus Steindachner, 1860 (Komen Limestone, Volčji Grad, Komen, Slovenia) (type species)
• Aipichthys minor (Pictet, 1850) (Hakel and Hjoula, Lebanon)
• Aipichthys nuchalis (Dixon, 1850) (Upper Cenomanian English Chalk, Washington, Sussex, UK)
• Aipichthys oblongus Gayet, 1980 (Hakel and Hjoula, Lebanon)
• Aipichthys velifer Woodward, 1901 (Hakel and Hjoula, Lebanon)

Notes and References

1. Delbarre . D. J. . Davesne . D. . Friedman . M. . 2016 . Anatomy and relationships of †Aipichthys pretiosus and †Aipichthys' nuchalis (Acanthomorpha: Lampridomorpha), with a review of Late Cretaceous relatives of oarfishes and their allies . Journal of Systematic Palaeontology . 14 . 7 . 545–567. 10.1080/14772019.2015.1078538 . 86575270 .
2. Davesne . Donald . Friedman . Matt . Barriel . Véronique . Lecointre . Guillaume . Janvier . Philippe . Gallut . Cyril . Otero . Olga . 2014-09-02 . Early fossils illuminate character evolution and interrelationships of Lampridiformes (Teleostei, Acanthomorpha) . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 172 . 2 . 475–498 . 10.1111/zoj.12166 . 0024-4082.
3. Web site: PBDB . 2024-02-03 . paleobiodb.org.