Animalia > Chordata > Holoptychiidae > Holoptychius

Holoptychius

Wikipedia Abstract

Holoptychius is an extinct genus of porolepiform lobe-finned fish from the Devonian period. It is known from fossils worldwide. Holoptychius was streamlined predator about 50 centimetres (20 in) long (though largest specimen could grew up to 2.5 m), which fed on other bony fish. Its rounded scales and body form indicate that it could have swum quickly through the water to catch prey. Similar to other rhipidistians, it had fang-like teeth on its palate in addition to smaller teeth on the jaws. Its asymmetrical tail sported a caudal fin on its lower end. To compensate for the downward push caused by this fin placement, Holoptychius's pectoral fins were placed high on the body.
View Wikipedia Record: Holoptychius

Species

External References

Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0