''Lepisosteus'' is a genus of
gar
Gars are members of the family Lepisosteidae, which are the only surviving members of the Ginglymodi, an ancient holosteian group of ray-finned fish, which first appeared during the Triassic, over 240 million years ago. Gars comprise seven livin ...
s in the family
Lepisosteidae
Gars are members of the family Lepisosteidae, which are the only surviving members of the Ginglymodi, an ancient holosteian group of ray-finned fish, which first appeared during the Triassic, over 240 million years ago. Gars comprise seven livin ...
.
Distribution
While in the present day, ''Lepisosteus'' is only known across North America, fossil remains show it was much more widespread in the past, with specimens known from the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
Systematics
Species
The currently recognized species are:
Extant species
Fossil species
* †''
Lepisosteus aganus''
(Cope, 1877)
* †''
Lepisosteus bemisi
''Lepisosteus'' is a genus of gars in the family Lepisosteidae.
Distribution
While in the present day, ''Lepisosteus'' is only known across North America, fossil remains show it was much more widespread in the past, with specimens known from t ...
''
Grande, 2010
* †''
Lepisosteus bohemicus''
(Laube, 1901)
* †''
Lepisosteus cominatoi''
Santos, 1984
* †''
Lepisosteus cycliferus''
(Cope, 1873)
* †''
Lepisosteus glaber''
Marsh, 1871
* †''
Lepisosteus indicus''
Woodward, 1908
* †''
Lepisosteus integer''
(Cope, 1877)
* †''
Lepisosteus fimbriatus''
Wood, 1846
* †''
Lepisosteus knieskerni''
Fowler, 1911
* †''
Lepisosteus longus''
Lambe, 1908
* †''
Lepisosteus nahunticus''
(Cope, 1869)
* †''
Lepisosteus notabilis''
Leidy, 1873
* †''
Lepisosteus occidentalis''
[Pearson ''et al.'', 2002, p.154]["Class Osteichthyes," in Estes and Berberian, 1970, p.3]
* †''
Lepisosteus opertus
''Lepisosteus'' is a genus of gars in the family Lepisosteidae.
Distribution
While in the present day, ''Lepisosteus'' is only known across North America, fossil remains show it was much more widespread in the past, with specimens known from ...
''
Estes, 1964
* †''
Lepisosteus strausi''
Kinkelin, 1884
* †''
Lepisosteus suessoniensis''
Gervais, 1888
* †''
Lepisosteus whitneyi''
Marsh, 1871
Three species formerly classified in ''Lepisosteus'' (
tropical gar,
Cuban gar, and
alligator gar
The alligator gar (''Atractosteus spatula'') is a ray-finned euryhaline fish related to the bowfin in the infraclass Holostei . It is the largest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fish in North America. The fossil ...
) are now assigned to the genus ''
Atractosteus
''Atractosteus'' is a genus of gars in the family Lepisosteidae, with three species. The genus first appeared in the Campanian in the Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous ...
''.
References
External links
*
*
Lepisosteidae
Milk River Formation
Extant Albian first appearances
{{Lepisosteiformes-stub