Lessiniabatis
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| Lessiniabatis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Holotype specimen | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Myliobatiformes |
| Superfamily: | Dasyatoidea |
| Genus: | †Lessiniabatis Marramà et al 2019 |
| Species: | †L. aenigmatica |
| Binomial name | |
| †Lessiniabatis aenigmatica Marramà, Carnevale, Giusberti, Naylor & Kriwet, 2019 | |
Lessiniabatis is an extinct genus of highly unusual stingray from the Early Eocene of Italy. It contains a single species, L. aenigmatica. It is known from three specimens, one nearly complete, from the famous Monte Bolca lagerstätte.[1][2]
The specimen was initially assigned as the holotype of Arechia crassicaudata, another fossil stingray from the same formation, which was found to be made in error as Lessiniabatis does not share any of the diagnostic traits of A. crassicaudata. It was later described as its own genus and species in 2019. Phylogenetic analyses recover it as a derived member of the Dasyatoidea, and the sister group to the Dasyatidae and Potamotrygonidae.[1]
The genus name references Lessinia, the Italian geographical area where Monte Bolca is located, while the species name references its strange appearance.[1]
