Besania
Extinct genus of fishes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Besania is an extinct genus of prehistoric marine ray-finned fish[1] that lived during the Anisian and Ladinian ages of the Middle Triassic epoch in what is now southern/southeastern Switzerland and northern Italy.[2] Fossils were recovered from the Besano Formation of Monte San Giorgio area (Swiss-Italian borderland)[3] and the Prosanto Formation of canton Graubünden, Switzerland.[4]
| Besania Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
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| Fossil of Besania sp. at Civic Museum of Fossils of Besano | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Subclass: | Neopterygii |
| Genus: | †Besania Brough, 1939 |
| Type species | |
| †Besania micrognathus Brough, 1939 | |
| Other species | |
| |
Initially considered a perleidiform or luganoiiform, it is now thought to be an indeterminate "halecostome" or basal neopterygian.[4] There are two known species, Besania micrognathus (type species) and B. schaufelbergerae. Both are quite small (31 mm (1.2 in)–44 mm (1.7 in) in standard length).
The genus is named after the Italian town of Besano, Lombardy, near Monte San Giorgio.
