Iniopteryx ("Nape Wing") is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish.[1][2][3][4] It is from the Pennsylvanian epoch of the Carboniferous period, approximately 300 million years ago. Their fossils have been found in North America, primarily in two states: Ohio and Montana. In general, very little is known about this species.
| Iniopteryx Temporal range: Pennsylvanian,
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Iniopteryx rushlaui | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Holocephali |
| Order: | †Iniopterygiformes |
| Family: | †Iniopterygidae |
| Genus: | †Iniopteryx |
Characteristics
editIniopteryx was a chimaera-like fish, described as "plump". It is known that the species average size was around half a meter in length. While the species had specialized spines and fins superficially similar to that of a flying fish, there is much speculation about whether it could glide like a flying fish, or was actually benthic.
References
edit- ^ "Main Groups of Cartilagous Fishes". Mikko's Phylogeny Archive. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
- ^ "The Search for Ancient Sharks - Prehistoric Shark Gallery". Discovery Communications Inc. 2007-11-10. Archived from the original on 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
- ^ "Hallazgo del fósil de un cerebro". amenito.com (in Spanish). 2019-05-15. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
- ^ Zangerl, Rainer; Case, Gerard Ramon (1973). Iniopterygia : a new order of Chondrichthyan fishes from the Pennsylvanian of North America. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Chicago : Field Museum of Natural History.
- Vertebrate Palaeontology by Michael J. Benton
External links
edit
 | This article about a prehistoric holocephalan is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |