Barameda
Extinct genus of tetrapodomorphs
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Barameda (Indigenous Australian language: "fish trap"[1]) is a genus of rhizodont lobe-finned fishes which lived during the Tournaisian stage near the start of the Carboniferous period in Australia; fossils of the genus have been reported from the Snowy Plains Formation.[2] The largest member of this genus, Barameda decipiens, reached an estimated length of around 3–4 metres (9.8–13.1 ft),[3] while the smallest species, B. mitchelli is estimated to have had a length of about 35 centimetres (14 in).[4]
| Barameda Temporal range: Tournasian ~ | |
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| Life restoration | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | †Rhizodontida |
| Order: | †Rhizodontiformes |
| Family: | †Rhizodontidae |
| Genus: | †Barameda Long, 1989 |
| Species | |
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Description
Species of the genus Barameda had an extremely elongated and thick body typical of Carboniferous rhizodonts. It was covered with moderately thin, cycloidal scales,[1] with thick bony plates covering its head and operculum (gill flaps), a tightly fused Skull roof, and extremely prominent, sharp fangs, devoid of serrations or cutting edges. Its scales preserved a lateral line.[2] Originally it was estimated to have a typical narrow pectoral fin, however a later study shows that it had a wider pectoral fin like other Carboniferous rhizodonts.[5]
Paleoecology
Along with other rhizodonts, Barameda seems likely to have been a benthic ambush predator, and its pectoral fins support that interpretation.[5]