Mandageria

Name: Mandageria ‭(‬Named after the Mandagery Sandstone Formation where it was first discovered‭)‬.
Phonetic: Man-daj-e-re-ah.
Named By: Zerina Johanson‭ & ‬Per E.‭ ‬Ahlberg‭ ‬-‭ ‬1997.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Sarcopterygii,‭ ‬Crossopterygii,‭ ‬Osteolepiforms,‭ ‬Tristichopteridae.
Species: M.‭ ‬fairfaxi‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: Around‭ ‬1.5‭ ‬to‭ ‬2‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Australia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Mandagery Sandstone Formation.
Time period: Frasnian/Fammenian of the Devonian.
Fossil representation: Fairly well known.

       An extinct genus of lobe-finned fish,‭ ‬Mandageria was a streamlined predators of other fish.‭ ‬With the exception of the pectoral fins that are situated near the head,‭ ‬all of the other fins are located in more posterior locations towards the tail.‭ ‬Because these fins were here,‭ ‬they could help increase the surface area that pushed against the water as the tail moved,‭ ‬making Mandageria‭ (‬and similar fish‭) ‬capable of sudden bursts of acceleration towards prey,‭ ‬closing the distance between them before the prey could even react.‭ ‬The long‭ ‘‬torpedo-shaped‭’ ‬body of Mandageria is quite common amongst fish today,‭ ‬particularly fresh water genera that lurk amongst reeds while waiting to ambush prey.‭ ‬Once prey was in the mouth,‭ ‬the sharp teeth made certain that prey could not get away.‭ ‬The type species name M.‭ ‬fairfaxi is in honour of James Fairfax.
       At up to two meters long,‭ ‬Mandageria was fairly large for a lobe-finned fish,‭ ‬yet it was nothing near the size of Hyneria,‭ ‬another genus of lobe-finned fish which is considered to have been quite closely related to Mandageria.

Further reading
A new tristichopterid‭ (‬Osteolepiformes:‭ ‬Sarcopterygii‭) ‬from the Mandagery Sandstone‭ (‬Late Devonian,‭ ‬Famennian‭) ‬near Canowindra,‭ ‬NSW,‭ ‬Australia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Z.‭ ‬Johanson‭ & ‬P.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Ahlberg‭ ‬-‭ ‬1997.

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