Palaeonisciformes

Fossil of Palaeoniscus freieslebeni from the Upper Permian

The Palaeonisciformes are an extinct, long-lived group of primitive bony fish from the class of ray-finned fishes ( Actinopterygii ). They lived from the Lower Devonian to Lower Cretaceous.

Features

They were predatory fish with a large mouth open column, pointed teeth and large, wide front seated eyes. The scales of the Palaeonisciformes consisted of three layers, the bottom stratified bones in the middle dentin, which was permeated by pores and outside enamel. The cheekbones were grown together in primitive forms. The tail was heterocercal in younger forms the upper Schwanzflossenlobus, however, was almost the same size as the bottom. The fin rays are branched and resemble dandruff.

Throughout its evolution, the morphology of several side branches of Palaeonisciformes resembled more the primitive Neopterygii.

Etymology

(Greek ) palai (o ) - " old - ur ", oniskos ( = Latin Asellus ) " donkey ", also name of several popular food fish, eg Lipp and parrot fish ( in the Middle Ages and Humanism ).

System

• Coccolepis, incertae sedis
• Palaeoniscoidei, heterogeneous group of primitive Chondrostei Aeduellidae
• Acrolepidae
• Amblypteridae
• Birgeriidae
• Commentryidae
• Elonichtyidae
• Palaeoniscidae
• Pygopteridae
• Rhabdolepidae
• Rhadinichthyidae
• Stegotrachelidae

• Bobasatraniidae
• Chirodontidae
• Platysomidae

• Dorypteridae, Upper Permian