Diaphyodus Explained

Diaphyodus is an extinct genus of prehistoric marine ray-finned fish, generally considered a drumfish, from the Late Paleocene and Eocene, and potentially to the mid-Oligocene of Europe and North America.^{[1] [2]}

It is known by its isolated tooth plates, which are common in Paleogene formations in western Europe, with some remains also known from the southern United States. Formerly considered a wrasse and often classified within the fossil labrid genera Labrodon and Nummopalatus, more recent studies treat it as an extinct drumfish.^[3] It may be potentially ancestral to the extant genus Pogonias.

The following species are known:

• †D. ovalis von Schafhäutl, 1863 - Eocene of Bavaria, Germany
• †D. sauvagei (Leriche, 1900) - Late Paleocene, Early Eocene and Middle Eocene (Lutetian) of France (Paris Basin, including Falun de Pourcy Formation, Cuisien Formation & Lutetian limestone) and England (Blackheath Beds & London Clay) (=Nummulopalatus sauvagei Leriche, 1900, N. trapezoidalis Leriche, 1900)
• †D. trigonella von Schafhäutl, 1863 - Lutetian of Bavaria, Germany (Kressenberg Formation) (type species)
• †D. wilsoni Westgate, 1989 - Lutetian of Texas, USA (Laredo Formation) & Late Eocene (Priabonian) of Arkansas, USA (Jackson Group),^[4] potentially to the mid-Oligocene (late Rupelian) of Virginia, USA (Drummonds Corner beds within the Chesapeake Bay impact crater)

Based on the paleoenvironments of the formations from France and the United States that Diaphyodus is known from, it appears to have inhabited tropical estuarine habitats that were likely vegetated with mangrove forests, with dominance by Nypa palms.^{[5] [6] [7]} In some localities such as in the Late Paleocene of France, their teeth are particularly abundant.^[8]

The genus Eodiaphyodus from the Late Cretaceous was named after Diaphyodus and was also previously placed as a tentative drumfish alongside it, but more likely represents a phyllodontid.^[9]

See also

• Prehistoric fish
• List of prehistoric bony fish

External links

• Bony fish in the online Sepkoski Database

Notes and References

1. Web site: PBDB Taxon . 2024-08-18 . paleobiodb.org.
2. Paleontology of the upper Eocene to quaternary postimpact section in the USGS-NASA Langley core, Hampton, Virginia . Edwards . Lucy E. . Barron . John A. . 2005 . U.S. Geological Survey . 1688-H . en . Bukry . David . Bybell . Laurel M. . Cronin . Thomas M. . Poag . C. Wylie . Weems . Robert E. . Wingard . G. Lynn.
3. Bellwood . David R. . Schultz . Ortwin . Siqueira . Alexandre C. . Cowman . Peter F. . 2019 . A review of the fossil record of the Labridae . Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. Serie a für Mineralogie und Petrographie, Geologie und Paläontologie, Anthropologie und Prähistorie . 121 . 125–194 . 26595690 . 0255-0091.
4. Westgate . James W. . 1989-09-28 . Lower vertebrates from an estuarine facies of the middle Eocene Laredo Formation (Claiborne Group), Webb County, Texas . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . en . 9 . 3 . 282–294 . 10.1080/02724634.1989.10011763 . 1989JVPal...9..282W . 0272-4634.
5. Spijkerman . E. . A. D. van Nieulande . Freddy . P. Wesselingh . Frank . Reich . S. . Tracey . Steve . 2015-01-01 . Pourcy (Paris Basin, France): preliminary assessment of an early Eocene NW European tropical coastal environment from molluscs and vertebrate fossils . Cainozoic Research . en . 15 . 1–2 . 155–180 . 1570-0399.
6. Westgate . James W. . Gee . Carole T. . 1990-05-01 . Paleoecology of a middle Eocene mangrove biota (vertebrates, plants, and invertebrates) from southwest Texas . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . 78 . 1 . 163–177 . 10.1016/0031-0182(90)90210-X . 1990PPP....78..163W . 0031-0182.
7. Book: Westgate, James W. . After the Dinosaurs: A Texas Tropical Paradise Recovered at Lake Casa Blanca . 1999-01-01 . University of Texas Press . 978-1-885696-32-8 . en.
8. Smith . Thierry . Quesnel . Florence . Plöeg . Gaël De . Franceschi . Dario De . Métais . Grégoire . Bast . Eric De . Solé . Floréal . Folie . Annelise . Boura . Anaïs . Claude . Julien . Dupuis . Christian . Gagnaison . Cyril . Iakovleva . Alina . Martin . Jeremy . Maubert . François . 2014-01-29 . First Clarkforkian Equivalent Land Mammal Age in the Latest Paleocene Basal Sparnacian Facies of Europe: Fauna, Flora, Paleoenvironment and (Bio)stratigraphy . PLOS ONE . en . 9 . 1 . e86229 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0086229 . free . 1932-6203 . 3906055 . 24489703. 2014PLoSO...986229S .
9. Vullo . Romain . Courville . Philippe . 2014-09-01 . Fish remains (Elasmobranchii, Actinopterygii) from the Late Cretaceous of the Benue Trough, Nigeria . Journal of African Earth Sciences . 97 . 194–206 . 10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2014.04.016 . 2014JAfES..97..194V . 1464-343X.