Diplomystus Temporal range:
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D. dentatus from Eocene of Wyoming | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | †Ellimmichthyiformes |
Family: | †Armigatidae |
Genus: | †Diplomystus Cope, 1877 |
Type species | |
†Diplomystus dentatus Cope, 1877
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Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
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Diplomystus is an extinct genus of freshwater and marine clupeomorph fish distantly related to modern-day extant herrings, anchovies, and sardines. It is known from the United States, China, and Lebanon from the Late Cretaceous to the middle Eocene. Many other clupeomorph species from around the world were also formerly placed in the genus, due to it being a former wastebasket taxon.[1] It was among the last surviving members of the formerly-diverse order Ellimmichthyiformes, with only its close relative Guiclupea living for longer.[2]