''Spathiurus'' 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 during the
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 ...
in the
Sannine Formation
The Sannine Formation, also called the Sannine Limestone, is a Cretaceous geologic formation in Lebanon.
Description
It is primarily Cenomanian in age. The formation laterally varies from east to west; the western lowland "coastal" sequence i ...
of
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
.
Description
''Spathiurus'' was designated as a member of the
Ionoscopidae family in 2020 as it shows the diagnostic features of the group, making it the first member of the family to be known from the late Cretaceous as well as the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
.
It is believed to be a sister taxon to ''
Ionoscopus'' ''petrarojae'', the both are more derived than Ionoscopus''
' ''cyprinoides'', which probably belongs in a different distinct genus.
The species ''Amphilaphurus major'' is currently believed synonymous with ''Spathiurus dorsalis''.
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
External links
*
Ionoscopiformes
Late Cretaceous fish
Late Cretaceous fish of Asia
Prehistoric ray-finned fish genera
{{cretaceous-fish-stub