''Clupavus'' is an extinct genus of marine ray-finned fish that lived during the middle of the Cretaceous period. It is known from North Africa, Europe, Brazil, and possibly North America.

Taxonomy

It contains the following species: * ''C. brasiliensis'' -

Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous Epoch or Series and encompasses the time from 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma to 113.0 ± 1.0 Ma (million years ago), a ...

of Bahia, Brazil ( Marizal Formation) * ''C. maroccanus'' -

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Series. An age is a unit of geochronology; it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the s ...

of Morocco ( Jbel Tselfat), late Cenomanian/early Turonian of Germany (

Hesseltal Formation The Hesseltal Formation or Blackcoloured Formation is a Late Cretaceous (late Cenomanian to early Turonian) geological formation from northern Germany. It consists of lithified marls and limestone, with a unique series of black shales deposited ...

) Fossils of an indeterminate ''Clupavus'' species are abundant in the Albian-aged Pietraroja Plattenkalk of Italy, and the Cenomanian-aged

Komen Limestone Komen (, it, Comen or ''Comeno'') is a settlement in Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Komen. It is located on the Karst Plateau in the Slovenian Littoral. Name Komen was attested in written sources in 1247 as ''Cominum'' (and a ...

of Slovenia. A few specimens of a potential indeterminate species are also known from the Albian-aged Mowry Shale of Wyoming, USA. The genus was initially described in 1950 with the species ''C. neocomiensis'' (Bassani, 1879) as its type species, based on a specimen from Morocco classified ''C.'' cf. ''neocomiensis''. In 1968, the original ''C. neocomiensis'' was found to be synonymous with '' Leptolepis brodiei'', so ''Clupavus'' was redefined with the newly-described ''C. maroccanus'' as the type species. The classification of ''C. brasiliensis'' in this genus has been questioned, as it differs from ''C. maroccanus'' in the morphology of the caudal skeleton. The species ''Casieroides, Casieroides yamangaensis'' and ''Chardonius, Chardonius longicaudatus'' from the Democratic Republic of the Congo were initially classified in this genus, but are now known to be unrelated. Initially described as a member of the Clupeiformes, later studies have found the presence of a Weberian apparatus in members of this genus, indicating them to be basal Otophysi, otophysans. Relatives of ''Clupavus'' include ''Lusitanichthys'' and possibly ''Jhingrania''.

Ecology

''Clupavus'' is one of the most common fossil fishes in the formations where it occurs in Europe. They are especially common in the

of Germany, from around the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event, Cenomanian-Turonian boundary. These German fossils indicate that ''Clupavus'' was an widespread, sardine-like Shoaling and schooling, shoaling fish, closely associated with cool waters from upwelling, that served as the base of the food chain in marine ecosystems of the Tethys Ocean, Tethys Sea and pre-North Sea. Remains of ''Clupavus'' have been found as the fossilized stomach contents of medium-sized predatory fishes such as ''Bananogmius, Bananogmius ornatus'' and possibly ''Protostomias, Protostomias maroccanus''.

References

Ostariophysi Prehistoric ray-finned fish genera Aptian genus first appearances Albian genera Cenomanian genera Turonian genus extinctions Cretaceous bony fish Late Cretaceous fish of Africa Cretaceous fish of Europe Early Cretaceous fish of South America Early Cretaceous fish of North America Cretaceous Brazil Fossils of Brazil Cretaceous Morocco Fossils of Morocco Fossils of Germany Fossils of Italy Fossils of Slovenia Fossils of Wyoming Taxa named by Camille Arambourg Fossil taxa described in 1950 {{Paleo-rayfinned-fish-stub