Scientists have discovered the frozen remains of three Peltoperleidus specimens in Chinese soil, the oldest fossils of the bony fish ever discovered.
These fossils were discovered in Luoping, eastern Yunnan China, this month and are the first records of the 244 million year-old fish found outside of Europe – the creature was only known to live in what is now southern Switzerland and northern Italy.
Each specimen has small, but sharp teeth, distinct scales, and blunt snout.
The discoveries also prove that Peltoperleidus lived for 2 million years longer than previously believed. All fossils before him date back to 242million years ago.
Yu Min, a paleontologist with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times: ‘It is also a sign provided to us to further explore the paleogeographic allocation and distribution of the genus since we see it has been discovered in China when previously we only knew it existed in Europe.’
Three extinct genuses of a bony fish, which swam the Earth for 244 million years, have been frozen in sediment. Scientists confirm that these are the oldest Peltoperleidus specimens to have ever been discovered.
Peltoperleidus is an early Ladinian stage predatory fish from the Middle Triassic Epoch.
The lower jaw of the prehistoric creature was attached directly to the skull. This allowed the mouth to be opened wide enough to capture larger prey.
Peltoperleidus however had their own developments.
Peltoperleidus, like other fish, had anal and dorsal fins that were highly flexible, unlike earlier fish. It also had a smaller number of fin rays than its relatives.
Each specimen has tiny, sharp teeth and distinctive scales. The discoveries also indicate that Peltoperleidus lived 2 million more years than previously believed.
Peltoperleidus and its relatives were able to have highly flexible anal and dorsal fins unlike other fish. They also had a smaller number of fin rays.
This evolutionary improvement would have made the fish more agile in water.
The fish was approximately one inch in length In average, the length of the rhomboidal scales is fully covered.
The scales are smoothThese were placed between the pectoral and caudal inversion in 34 or 35 vertical rows.
Each side of the body has 14 or 15 scales, with six or seven scales above the lateral line, in the 22nd vertical column.
P. asiaticus is a close relative to its European cousins (represented by P. macrodontus). nov. is most likely a small-sized predator of durophagous prey [eating behavior of animals that consume hard-shelled or exoskeleton bearing organisms]According to the study, this is dentition that combines grasping and crushing morphologies.
The study was published in the scientific journal Peer J.
Chinese scientists revealed in 2009 that they had discovered a new type of bony fish. It is the oldest known and best preserved of all the bony fishes found in southern China.
The fossils were discovered in Luoping, eastern Yunnan and China.
Chinese scientists discovered a new type bony fish in China, which was first known and best preserved in southern China. The evolutionary history of jawed vertebrates is revealed by the fossil of Guiyu oneiros
The evolutionary history of jawed vertebrates is revealed by the fossil of Guiyu oneiros.
The fish is approximately one-foot in length and dates back 418 millions years ago.
Only the tail fin is missing. The fossil also includes intricate details of the fish’s scales.
It has a jaw, making it the oldest nearly-completely jawed vertebrate ever discovered. It also shows that it was lobefinned, meaning that its fins are fleshier and more flexible than ray-finned fish.
It shows the expected mix between primitive and derived features.
This means that the split of ray-finned and fishes with lobes fins must have occurred at least 419,000,000 years ago. This suggests that jawed vertebrates have a long history.