Dorsetichthys

Dorsetichthys Temporal range: Early Jurassic PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fossil of Dorsetichthys bechei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Infraclass:	Teleostei
Order:	†Dorsetichthyiformes Arratia, 2013
Family:	†Dorsetichthyidae Arratia, 2013
Genus:	†Dorsetichthys Arratia, 2013
Species:	†D. bechei
Binomial name
†Dorsetichthys bechei (Agassiz, 1837)

Dorsetichthys is an extinct genus of stem-teleost ray-finned fish from the Early Jurassic period of Europe.

Description[]

Dorsetichthys was a herring-like fish about 40 centimetres (16 in) long, although it was not closely related to modern herring. Like them, however, it had a single dorsal fin, a symmetrical tail, and an anal fin placed towards the rear of the body. It had large eyes and was probably a fast-swimming predator, hunting planktonic crustaceans and smaller fish.^[1]

As an early stem-teleost, Dorsetichthys had many plesiomorphic characteristics that differentiated it from modern teleosts, such as ganoid scales and a spine that was partially composed of cartilage, rather than bone.^[1]

Taxonomy[]

The type species of Dorsetichthys, D. bechei, was formerly assigned to Pholidophorus, but Arratia (2013) recognized it as generically distinct from the Pholidophorus type species, placing it in the new family Dorsetichthyidae and new order Dorsetichthyiformes.^[2]

References[]

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