Gosfordia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gosfordia Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Dipnoi |
| Order: | Ceratodontiformes |
| Genus: | †Gosfordia Woodward, 1890 |
| Species: | †G. truncata |
| Binomial name | |
| †Gosfordia truncata Woodward, 1890 | |
Gosfordia is an extinct genus of prehistoric freshwater lungfish known from the Triassic of Australia.[1] It contains a single species, G. truncata from the early-mid Triassic (late Olenekian or early Anisian)-aged Terrigal Formation of New South Wales.[2] It is thought to be an early-diverging member of the Ceratodontiformes, making it a distant relative of extant lungfish.[3]
Initially based on five incomplete specimens of imperfect preservation, a complete specimen was described in 1981.[4] Skull bones described in 1994 suggest a close relationship between Gosfordia and Paraceratodus.[5] However, other studies suggest that it may have diverged prior to Paraceratodus.[6]
