Porolepiformes

Holoptychius nobilissimus, from the Old Red Sandstone of Scotland, reconstruction drawing of 1876, right below a scale

The Porolepiformes are an extinct group of bony fish from the class of meat -finned fishes ( Sarcopterygii ). They lived in Devon, their fossil remains have been found mainly in freshwater sediments of the middle and upper Devonian.

Features

The Porolepiformes had a plump body. Their pectoral fins were elongated and often sat quite high on the trunk, the ventral fins were short, the tail fin heterocercal. Older forms had thick, rhombic Cosmoidschuppen, younger thin cycloid scales. They were relatively large predatory fish with a broad skull, small eyes, and had in their large fangs, a specially folded dentine. Both external nares were still present, choanae ( paired opening to the roof of the mouth ) is probably not. Judging by her body shape after they were ambush hunters, waiting to close by swimming prey, which they then began with a sudden thrust.

System

  • Porolepidae Porolepis, Lower Devonian of Spitsbergen and Europe, 1.5 m long
  • Glyptolepis, Middle Devonian of East Greenland and Scotland, 1 m long
  • Duffichthys, Scotland
  • Holoptychius, Upper Devonian lived world in fresh water, up to 2 m long
  • Laccognathus, marin, Latvia
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