Spathiurus Explained

Spathiurus is an extinct genus of prehistoric ray-finned fish that lived during the Cenomanian in the Sannine Formation of Lebanon.^[1]

Description

Spathiurus was designated as a member of the family Ionoscopidae in 2020, as it shows the diagnostic features of the group, making it the first member of the family to be known from the late Cretaceous as well as the Middle East.^[2] It is believed to be a sister taxon to Ionoscopus petrarojae, the both are more derived than Ionoscopus' cyprinoides, which probably belongs in a different distinct genus. The species Amphilaphurus major is currently believed synonymous with Spathiurus dorsalis.

See also

• Prehistoric fish
• List of prehistoric bony fish

External links

• Web site: Pachycormiformes. Paleobiology Database. November 11, 2012.

Notes and References

1. Sepkoski . Jack . A compendium of fossil marine animal genera . Bulletins of American Paleontology . 364 . 560 . 2002 . 2009-02-27 .
2. Hossny; Maksoud; Azar; Saad . Tamara El; Sibelle; Dany; Pierre Abi . August 2020 . Spathiurus dorsalis Davis, 1887, from the Upper Cretaceous of Haqel, Lebanon, and the evolutionary history of Ionoscopiformes . Cretaceous Research . 116. 104619 . 10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104619 . 2020CrRes.11604619E . 224978290 .