Coccodus

Coccodus
Temporal range: Upper Cenomanian[1]
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Coccodus insignis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: †Pycnodontiformes
Family: †Coccodontidae
Genus: †Coccodus
Pictet, 1850
Species
  • †C. armatus Pictet, 1850
  • †C. insignis Hay, 1903

Coccodus is an extinct genus of marine pycnodontid fish that lived during the Late Cretaceous.[1] The various species had a pair of massive, curved spines emanating from the lower sides of the head, and one curved spine on the top of its head. Unlike most pycnodontids (which tend to have short, marine butterflyfish-like bodies), Coccodus species had a comparatively long body, giving the living animals a superficial resemblance to a scaly chimaera.

Coccodus is closely related to the similarly spined genera Trewavasia, Corusichthys, Paracoccodus, and Hensodon, which also lived during the Cenomanian of Lebanon.

  1. ^ a b Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2009-02-27.