Gyrosteus

Gyrosteus
Temporal range: Lower Toarcian Possible Bathonian record
Restoration of Gyrosteus
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Chondrosteiformes
Family: Chondrosteidae
Genus: Gyrosteus
Agassiz, 1843
Type species
Gyrosteus mirabilis
[2] Agassiz 1844
Species
  • "Gyrosteus" subdeltoideus[1]

Gyrosteus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the family Chondrosteidae that lived during the Lower Jurassic. It has a single species, G. mirabilis.

There could be a "second" species, G. subdeltoideus. However, not much data has been gathered on it, but it is known from otoliths.

Description

This large fish had a sturgeon-like body, reaching 6 metres (20 ft) to 7 metres (23 ft) long.

Specimens

Gyrosteus is only known from incomplete fossil specimens.

References

  1. Hornung, Jahn J.; Sachs, Sven (2020). "First record of Gyrosteus mirabilis (Actinopterygii, Chondrosteidae) from the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) of the Baltic region". PeerJ.
  1. Stinton, F.C.; Torrens, H.S. (1968). "Fish otoliths from the Bathonian of southern England. Palaeontology". 11 (2): 246–258. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  2. Agassiz L. 1834. Recherches sur les Poissons Fossiles: Tome I. Neuchatel: Imprimerie de Petitpierre. 188