Bandringa
| Bandringa Temporal range: Pennsylvanian,
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Bandringa rayi holotype juvenile from the Pennsylvanian of Illinois | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | Chordata
|
| Class: | |
| Subclass: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | †Bandringidae Zangerl, 1969
|
| Genus: | †Bandringa Zangerl, 1969
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Bandringa rayi Zangerl, 1969
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Bandringa is an extinct genus of Elasmobranch known from the Pennsylvanian subperiod of the Carboniferous period that was part of the monotypic family Bandringidae.[1] There is currently a single known species, B. rayi, described in 1969.[1] It is known from exceptionally preserved individuals found in the Mazon Creek Lagerstätte of Illinois which dates back to the late Moscovian stage; the holotype (PF 5686), a juvenile, was found by Ray Bandringa in an ironstone concretion during the summer of 1967. Two species from this genus were originally described, B. rayi and B. herdinae,[2] but the differences between the two were found to be taphonomic in origin. All Mazon Creek individuals appear to represent juveniles, suggesting the area was a nursery for them. Also supporting this notion are fossilized egg cases found in the same localities, though it is unclear whether they belong to this genus. Adult fossils attributed to B. rayi have also been found in spoil heaps from Five Points coal mines near Conesville, Ohio and Cannelton, Pennsylvania, both of which contain the roughly contemporaneous of the Allegheny Group. This species has a long rostrum and may have been analogous to modern sawfish. It appears to have fed via suction feeding. Preserved gut contents include articulated arthropods. Estimated from the juvenile fossils and partial adult fossils, the adult is close to 70 cm (28 in). Its relationships to other elasmobranchs is currently unclear.[3][4]
Description[]
Bandringa was a very unique looking fish. The most noticeable part of this Chondricthyes is its long very long snout that made up half its body[3]. The snout looks similar to that seen in the unrelated cartilaginous fish family Polyodontidae. The body of Bandringa had two dorsal fins, a set of three lower fins (5 in total) and a long tapering Heterocercal caudal fin. Bandringa fed by suction feeding, and using its long snout and needle like spines on its cheek for hunting in murky water[3].
Breeding[]
Bandringa is one of the few fossil fish that has a well studied breeding cycle. A paper found that the fish lived a lifestyle that was the opposite of salmon, with the adults living in freshwater areas and the younger ones living in more brackish and saltwater areas, and when fully grown would swim back into the freshwater areas.[5] This makes since because at the time, Illinois was a diagonally running stream that ran from freshwater to saltwater areas.[5]
References[]
- ^ a b R. Zangerl. (1969). Bandringa rayi: A New Ctenacanthoid Shark form the Pennsylvanian Essex Fauna of Illinois. Fieldiana Geology 12:157-169
- ^ R. Zangerl. (1979). New Chondrichthyes from the Mazon Creek fauna (Pennsylvanian) of Illinois. Mazon Creek Fossils 449-500
- ^ a b c Sallan, Lauren Cole; Coates, Michael I. (January 2014). "The long-rostrumed elasmobranch Bandringa Zangerl, 1969, and taphonomy within a Carboniferous shark nursery". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34 (1): 22–33. doi:10.1080/02724634.2013.782875. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 86174861.
- ^ "Mazon Monday #19: Species Spotlight: Bandringa rayi #MazonCreek #fossils #MazonMonday #shark". Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
- ^ a b "Scientists Discover 310-Million-Years-Old Nursery of Bandringa Sharks". sci-news.com.
 | This article about a prehistoric cartilaginous fish is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- Elasmobranchii
- Prehistoric cartilaginous fish genera
- Prehistoric cartilaginous fish stubs