Cosmolepis
Extinct genus of fishes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cosmolepis is an extinct genus of prehistoric marine ray-finned fish that lived during the Early Jurassic epoch.[2] It contains a single species, C. ornatus from the Blue Lias in what is now England. It is the only member of the family Cosmolepididae.[1][3]
Gardiner, 1967
Egerton, 1855
| Cosmolepis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Family: | †Cosmolepididae Gardiner, 1967 |
| Genus: | †Cosmolepis Egerton, 1855 |
| Species: | †C. ornatus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Cosmolepis ornatus Egerton, 1858 | |
| Synonyms | |
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It was formerly placed in the Palaeonisciformes, a group of basal ray-finned fishes that is now considered to be paraphyletic.[4][5] It is distinctive for its well-mineralized scales covered in ganoine. Its cheek and jaws have striated ridges of enamel.[6]
Specimens from the Moltrasio Formation of Osteno, Italy have been placed in this species based on non-reliable morphological features common among many "palaeoniscoid" fish, and thus may not be representatives of this taxon.[7] In 2026 they were placed in their own genus, Ostenolepis.[8]
