''Argillichthys toombsi'' is an extinct
lizardfish
The Synodontidae or lizardfishes(or typical lizardfish to distinguish them from the Bathysauridae and Pseudotrichonotidae) are benthic (bottom-dwelling) marine and estuarine bony fishes that belong to the aulopiform fish order, a diverse group ...
from the
Ypresian
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...
-aged
London Clay
The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian (early Eocene Epoch, c. 56–49 million years ago) age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for its fossil content. The fossils from t ...
Formation from Lower
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It is known from a skull.
See also
Other notable extinct Cenozoic aulopiforms include:
*''
Alepisaurus paronai
''Alepisaurus paronai'' is an extinct species of lancetfish known from a fossil skull found in Middle Miocene-aged strata in Piedmont, Italy. The skull is very similar in anatomy and dimensions to that of the extant long-snouted lancetfish. The ...
'', an extinct
lancetfish
Lancetfishes are large oceanic predatory fishes in the genus ''Alepisaurus'' ("scaleless lizard") in the monogeneric family Alepisauridae.
Lancetfishes grow up to in length. Very little is known about their biology, though they are widely di ...
that lived in middle
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
Piemonte
it, Piemontese
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*''
Polymerichthys
''Polymerichthys nagurai'' is an extinct, superficially eel-like alepisauroid from the Middle Miocene of Japan. The holotype specimen, no. 6599, was originally collected by Masayasu Nagura, a suzuri maker, around 1927. The specimen demonstrat ...
'', another extinct alepisauroid from Middle
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
References
Synodontidae
Eocene fish
Prehistoric life of Europe
{{Aulopiformes-stub