Thoracopterus
Thoracopterus Temporal range:
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Thoracopterus magnificus fossil | |
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Genus: | †Thoracopterus Bronn, 1858
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†Thoracopterus niederristi Bronn, 1858
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Thoracopterus is an extinct genus of overwater gliding ray-finned fish. It was common to the late Middle Triassic and Late Triassic epochs in what is now Europe and China.[1]
Thoracopterus had elongate pectoral fins, similar to modern Exocoetidae, which are used to glide overwater in order to escape aquatic predators. Thoracopterus represents the earliest known example for overwater gliding in actinopterygians.
References[]
- ^ Tintori, Andrea; Sassi, Davide (1992). "Thoracopterus Bronn (Osteichthyes: Actinopterygii): A Gliding Fish from the Upper Triassic of Europe". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 12 (3): 265–283. doi:10.1080/02724634.1992.10011459. JSTOR 4523452.
- Fishes of the World by Joseph S. Nelson (page 95)
- Wildlife of Gondwana: Dinosaurs and Other Vertebrates from the Ancient Supercontinent (Life of the Past) by Pat Vickers Rich, Thomas Hewitt Rich, Francesco Coffa, and Steven Morton
- The Rise of Fishes: 500 Million Years of Evolution by John A. Long
Categories:
- Peltopleuriformes
- Triassic fish of Asia
- Triassic fish of Europe
- Taxa named by Heinrich Georg Bronn
- Triassic fish stubs
- Prehistoric ray-finned fish stubs