''Platysomus'' (from el, πλατύς , 'broad' and el, σῶμα 'body') is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genus of ray-finned fish that lived in the

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...

and Permian periods. Fossils have been found worldwide. ''Platysomus'' was about long, and shaped similarly to the discus fish, having the same flattened body and elongated dorsal and

anal 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 se ...

s. Its jaws were placed vertically under the braincase, giving it a wide gape. ''Platysomus'' is thought to have fed on plankton, and lived in both fresh and salt water.

References

Palaeonisciformes Prehistoric ray-finned fish genera Carboniferous bony fish Permian bony fish Paleozoic fish of Europe Paleozoic fish of North America Taxa named by Louis Agassiz {{Palaeonisciformes-stub