''Barameda'' (Indigenous Australian language: "fish trap") is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

rhizodont Rhizodontida is an extinct group of predatory tetrapodomorphs known from many areas of the world from the Givetian through to the Pennsylvanian - the earliest known species is about 377 million years ago (Mya), the latest around 310 Mya. Rhizodo ...

lobe-finned fish Sarcopterygii (; ) — sometimes considered synonymous with Crossopterygii () — is a taxon (traditionally a class or subclass) of the bony fishes known as the lobe-finned fishes. The group Tetrapoda, a mostly terrestrial superclass includ ...

which lived during the

Tournaisian The Tournaisian is in the ICS geologic timescale The geologic time scale, or geological time scale, (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy ...

stage near the start of the Carboniferous period in Australia; fossils of the genus have been reported from the Snowy Plains Formation. The largest member of this genus, ''Barameda decipiens'', reached an estimated length of around , while smallest species, ''B. mitchelli'' is estimated to have length about .

Description

The ''Barameda'' has an extremely elongated and thick body typical of Carboniferous

rhizodonts Rhizodontida is an extinct group of predatory tetrapodomorphs known from many areas of the world from the Givetian through to the Pennsylvanian - the earliest known species is about 377 million years ago (Mya), the latest around 310 Mya. Rhizodo ...

. It is covered with moderately thin, cycloidal

scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number w ...

, with thick bony plates covering its head and operculum (gill flaps), a tightly fused Skull roof, and extremely prominent, sharp fangs, devoid of serrations or cutting edges. Its scales preserved lateral line. Originally it is estimated to have a typical narrow

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

, however later study shows that had wider pectoral fin like other Carboniferous rhizodonts. Alongside other rhizodonts, ''Barameda'' is likely to be a benthic lay-in-

ambush predator Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey ...

, and its pectoral fins support that interpretation.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4858312 Rhizodonts Tournaisian life Prehistoric lobe-finned fish genera Carboniferous bony fish Prehistoric fish of Australia Carboniferous Australia Fossils of Australia Fossil taxa described in 1989