Bobasatraniiformes

Bobasatraniiformes
Temporal range: Wuchiapingian-Ladinian
Restoration of Bobasatrania canadensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Bobasatraniiformes
Berg, 1940
Families
Bobasatrania slab and counterslab fossils
Ebenaqua ritchei lived in Australia during the Permian
Dorypterus hoffmanni had a high dorsal fin

Bobasatraniiformes is an extinct order of durophagous ray-finned fish that existed from the late Permian to the Middle Triassic in both marine and freshwater environments. The order includes two families: Bobasatraniidae, with the genera Bobasatrania, Ebenaqua, and Ecrinesomus, and Dorypteridae, comprising only the genus Dorypterus (monotypy). Bobasatraniiformes had a somewhat global distribution; fossils are found in Africa (Madagascar), Asia (Pakistan), Australia, Europe, and North America.[1]

Most bobasatraniiforms were small [25 centimetres (9.8 in) or less], but some species of Bobasatrania grew up to 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) long or larger.[2][3] Bobasatraniiformes have a deepend body, a heterocercal caudal fin, and they often lack pelvic fins (present in Dorypterus, very small in Ebenaqua). Their dorsal and anal fins are often elongate (very elongate dorsal fin in Dorypterus). The body is covered in rhombic scales (scale cover reduced in Dorypterus). Their jaw bones lack teeth. Instead, they possessed strong tooth plates used to crush shelled prey animals similar to Modern osteoglossomorphs (Teleostei).

The evolutionary relationships of Bobasatraniiformes with other actinopterygians is not well known, but they are usually placed outside of Neopterygii.[4]

Bobasatraniiformes are one of the groups that survived the Permian-Triassic extinction event.[5]

  1. ^ Böttcher, Ronald (2014). "Phyllodont tooth plates of Bobasatrania scutata (Gervais, 1852) (Actinoperygii, Bobasatraniiformes) from the Middle Triassic (Longobardian) Grenzbonebed of southern Germany and eastern France, with an overview of Triassic and Palaeozoic phyllodont tooth plates". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen. 274 (2–3): 291–311. doi:10.1127/njgpa/2014/0454.
  2. ^ Russell, Loris S. (1951). "Bobasatrania? canadensis (Lambe), a giant chondrostean fish from the Rocky Mountains". Annual Report of the National Museum of Canada, Bulletin. 123: 218–224.
  3. ^ Neuman, Andrew G. (2015). "Fishes from the Lower Triassic portion of the Sulphur Mountain Formation in Alberta, Canada: geological context and taxonomic composition". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 52 (8): 557–568. Bibcode:2015CaJES..52..557N. doi:10.1139/cjes-2014-0165.
  4. ^ Friedman, Matt (March 2015). "The early evolution of ray-finned fishes". Palaeontology. 58 (2): 213–228. Bibcode:2015Palgy..58..213F. doi:10.1111/pala.12150. S2CID 84881603.
  5. ^ Romano, Carlo; Koot, Martha B.; Kogan, Ilja; Brayard, Arnaud; Minikh, Alla V.; Brinkmann, Winand; Bucher, Hugo; Kriwet, Jürgen (February 2016). "Permian-Triassic Osteichthyes (bony fishes): diversity dynamics and body size evolution". Biological Reviews. 91 (1): 106–147. doi:10.1111/brv.12161. PMID 25431138. S2CID 5332637.