''Eospinus daniltshenkoi'' is an extinct
tetraodontid bony fish from the
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...
. Its fossils are from the
Danata Formation
The Danata Formation (or Danatinskaya, Danatinsk, Russian: Danata Svita) is an Upper Paleocene to Middle Eocene sedimentary succession located in Turkmenistan. It is mostly famous for its fish-bearing horizons (Ichthyofauna).
The formation for ex ...
lagerstatten of
Ypresian
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian Age. The Ypresian ...
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
.
''E. daniltshenkoi'' had four dorsal spines, three of which were on the anterior end of its dorsal side, and the first spine being placed between and below the eyes, almost like a long nose. It also had a pair of spines near the base of its caudal peduncle, and a spine in front of the anal fin.
In 2002, and confirmed again in 2003, Santini and Tyler erected the family
Bolcabalistidae to contain both ''Eospinus'' and the Monte Bolca ''
Bolcabalistes'' as close relatives of both
triggerfishes and
boxfishes.
[Tyler, JAMES C., and F. R. A. N. C. E. S. C. O. Santini. "Review and reconstructions of the tetraodontiform fishes from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy, with comments on related Tertiary taxa." Studi e ricerche sui giacimenti terziari di Bolca 9 (2002): 47-119.] The similar ''
Moclaybalistes'' of
Thanetian
The Thanetian is, in the ICS Geologic timescale, the latest age or uppermost stratigraphic stage of the Paleocene Epoch or Series. It spans the time between . The Thanetian is preceded by the Selandian Age and followed by the Ypresian Age ( ...
Denmark
)
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was originally also placed in Bolcabalistidae, too, in 2002, but then move it into its own monotypic family of Moclaybalistidae.
See also
*
List of prehistoric bony fish
* ''
Spinacanthus
''Spinacanthus cuneiformis'' is an extinct prehistoric tetraodontid bony fish that lived from the Lutetian epoch of Eocene Monte Bolca.
In life, it would have resembled a somewhat-flattened boxfish with five long spines along the anterior-do ...
''
* ''
Protobalistum
''Protobalistum imperiale'' is an extinct prehistoric tetraodontid bony fish that lived from the Lutetian epoch of Eocene Monte Bolca.
In life, it would have resembled a compressed boxfish with five massive spines along the anterior-dorsal si ...
''
Sources
A remarkable new genus of Tetraodontiform fish with features of both Balistids and Ostraciids from the Eocene of Turkmenistan
Tetraodontiformes
Transitional fossils
Eocene fish of Asia
Fossil taxa described in 1992
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