''Ductor'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric
ray-finned fish
Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species.
The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...
that lived from the early to middle
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' ...
.
Fossils are found in
Monte Bolca
Monte Bolca is a lagerstätte near Verona, Italy that was one of the first fossil sites with high quality preservation known to Europeans, and is still an important source of fossils from the Eocene.
Geology
Monte Bolca was uplifted from the T ...
.
In life, species of ''Ductor'' would have resembled
pilot fish
The pilot fish (''Naucrates ductor'') is a carnivorous fish of the trevally, or jackfish family, Carangidae. It is widely distributed and lives in warm or tropical open seas.
Description
The pilot fish congregates around sharks, rays, and sea ...
, though, they are more closely related to the
jackfish. Some experts place ''Ductor'' into its own family, "Ductoridae," while others place the genus within the closely related
Carangidae
The Carangidae are a family of ray-finned fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, runners, and scads. It is the largest of the six families included within the order Carangiformes. Some authorities classify it as the only family ...
.
See also
*
Prehistoric fish
The evolution of fish began about 530 million years ago during the Cambrian explosion. It was during this time that the early chordates developed the skull and the vertebral column, leading to the first craniates and vertebrates. The first fish ...
*
List of prehistoric bony fish
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College
Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies, known simply as List College, is the undergraduate school of the J ...
References
Eocene fish
Fossils of Italy
Prehistoric perciform genera
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