Cockerellites
Extinct genus of ray-finned fishes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cockerellites is a genus of extinct temperate bass[1] described from early Eocene-aged fossils found in the Green River Formation of Wyoming.[2][3] It is characterized by a sunfish-like body and its stout dorsal and anal spines. The type species, C. liops, was originally named as a species of Priscacara by Edward Drinker Cope upon creating the genus in 1877,[4] but P. liops was moved to the newly created genus Cockerellites by D. Jordan and H. Hanibal in 1923.[5] Some authors, such as Whitlock (2010), still consider Cockerellites liops as a species of Priscacara.[1]
| Cockerellites Temporal range: Early Eocene, ~ | |
|---|---|
![](#/media/File:Cockerellites_liops_18"_layer_img1.jpg) | |
| Specimen of C. liops from the 18 inch layer of the Green River Formation, Wyoming | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Acanthuriformes |
| Family: | Moronidae |
| Genus: | †Cockerellites Jordan & Hanibal, 1923 |
| Species: | †C. liops |
| Binomial name | |
| †Cockerellites liops (Cope, 1877) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
C. liops is based on the holotype USNM 4044,[6] and it was placed in Priscacara as P. liops but is now considered a separate genus.[7] C. liops was originally seen as the most common species of Priscacara within the Green River lacustrine deposits, and at specific locations, it outnumbers P. serrata by over 3:1. The two species differ in the number of dorsal and anal fin rays, as well as possibly a coarser serrated rear edge of the preopercle in P. serrata. C. liops also has small conical teeth on the pharyngeal jaw, whereas P. serrata has large grinding tooth plates, suggesting a diet of snails and crustaceans.[8]
