Cladocyclus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cladocyclus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fossil of C. gardneri | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | †Ichthyodectiformes |
| Family: | †Cladocyclidae |
| Genus: | †Cladocyclus Agassiz, 1841 |
| Species | |
| |
Cladocyclus (derived from the Greek κλάδος/kládos ("branch") and κύκλος/kýklos ("circle")[1]) is an extinct genus of marine ichthyodectiform ray-finned fish from the middle Cretaceous. It was a predator of about 1.20 metres (3.9 ft) in length.
It contains the following species:
- †C. gardneri Agassiz, 1841 - Albian of northeastern Brazil (Romualdo and Crato Formations of the Araripe Basin) (=C. ferus Santos, 1950)[2]
- †C. geddesi Berell, 2014 - late Albian of Queensland, Australia (Winton Formation)[3]
An indeterminate specimen, previously assigned to Chirocentrites, is known from the Albian-aged Pietraroja Plattenkalk of Italy.[4] Indeterminate specimens, represented by complete remains, are also known from the Cenomanian of Morocco,[3][5] which are not to be confused with C. pankowskii, which was discovered in the Kem Kem Beds in 2007, but has since been reclassified to the genus Aidachar.[6][7]
The species C. lewesiensis Agassiz, 1887 from the Cenomanian of England and C. strehlensis Geinitz, 1868 from the Turonian of Germany, which were described based only on fossil scales, are considered nomen dubia and likely do not belong to this genus.[3][8][9] The dubious species C. occidentalis Leidy, 1857 from the Coniacian-to-Campanian-aged Niobrara Formation of South Dakota, US is based on scales that likely belong to Ichthyodectes ctenodon.[10]
