Cimolichthys

Cimolichthys
Temporal range:
C. nepaholica mount, University of Michigan Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Aulopiformes
Superfamily: Cimolichthyoidea
Family: Cimolichthyidae
Goody, 1969
Genus: Cimolichthys
Leidy, 1857
Type species
Cimolichthys levesiensis
Leidy, 1857
Species
  • C. levesiensis Leidy, 1857
  • C. nepaholica Cope, 1872
Synonyms

Cimolichthys is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish. It lived during the Upper Cretaceous.

Species

  • Cimolichthys anceps Cope, 1872
  • Cimolichthys nepaholica Cope, 1872
  • Cimolichthys gladiolus Cope, 1872
  • Cimolichthys levesiensis Leidy, 1857
  • Cimolichthys semianceps Cope, 1872
  • Cimolichthys sulcatus Cope, 1872

Description

Their bodies were covered by large, heavy scutes. Typical of this species are narrow lower jaws with several series of teeth. If Cimolichthys existed, it would look like the pikes we see in freshwater lakes.

Distribution

You can find Cimolichthys fossils in Cretaceous strata of North America (Canada and United States) and Europe.

Explanatory notes

  1. All of the species except C. levesiensis were discovered by Cope in 1872.

References

  1. Paleobiology Database Archived 2012-10-12 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Silva, Hilda, and Valéria Gallo. "Taxonomic review and phylogenetic analysis of Enchodontoidei (Teleostei: Aulopiformes)." Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 83.2 (2011): 483-511.

Other websites


  1. Paleobiology Database