In Depth Xeradipterus is a genus of lungfish known to have lived in Australia during the Devonian. The jaw structure and dentition of Xeradipterus shows that the fish had a very powerful crushing bite. Further Reading - Xeradipterus hatcheri, a New Dipnoan from the Late Devonian (Frasnian) Gogo Formation, Western Australia, and Other New Holodontid … Read more
In Depth Coelacanths are one of the few creatures that typify animal life in the Mesozoic that are still alive today. Modern coelacanths are represented by the genus Latimeria that live in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean, the largest examples of which are known to easily attain lengths of two meters. Back in … Read more
In Depth Griphognathus was an early lungfish, an identification which means that members of the genus may have been able to survive for short periods out of the water. The body is long with most of the fins being situated towards the rear, the pectoral fins being the obvious exception to this. The upper lobe … Read more
In Depth Chinlea is one of the better known coelacanth genera from North America, though remains of this late Triassic aged fish are usually incomplete. The majority of currently known remains of Chinlea are known from the Chinle Formation of the USA, which is also the inspiration for the genus name. Overall, Chinlea seems to … Read more
In Depth Gyroptychius was a streamlined lobe-finned fish that is so far known from Western Europe, specifically Scotland. Like with many of its relatives, Most of the fins on Gyroptychius were situated more towards the rear of the body (with the exception of the pectoral fins, an arrangement that would have increased the ability of … Read more
In Depth Allenypterus is a genus of lobe finned fish that is known to have lived in the waters of what would become Montana during the Carboniferous. Allenypterus had a very deep body and reduced limbs, strongly suggesting that this fish was a slow swimmer and focused more towards manoeuvring in slow flowing or even … Read more
In Depth Gogonasus was first named in 1985 from a single preserved snout, but since this time better and better specimens have been recovered, with several skulls, and a complete three dimensionally preserved individual discovered in 2005 (another example of how the Gogo Formation of Australia is yielding exquisitely well preserved fossils). Gogonasus is thought … Read more
In Depth Dipnorhynchus is a genus of primitive lungfish that already shows changes from its sarcopterygian ancestry. The skull is no longer in two halves and instead, in the loosest terms, forms a box. The palate of Dipnorhynchus was fused to the skull, like in land dwelling animals, and instead of having cheek teeth, Dipnorhynchus … Read more
In Depth Axelrodichthys is a genus of coelacanth that lived during the Cretaceous. As a member of the Mawsoniidae, Axelrodichthys would have had a body form similar to Chinlea and Mawsonia. Further Reading - Coelacanths from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil. American Museum Novitates 2866:1-30. - J. G. Maisley - 1986. - A new mawsoniid … Read more
In Depth Megamastax was named in 2014 and described upon the basis of jaw material from three different individuals. The largest of these jaws has been established as being up to sixteen centimetres long, and by scaling to similar sarcopterygiian fish yielded an estimate of a full body length around the one meter mark. This … Read more