Cervifurca nasuta Zangerl, 1997
Systematics: Chondrichthyes Holocephali Iniopterygiformes Iniopterygidae
Size: 25 cm long
Type Horizon and Locality: Late Carboniferous, Excello Shale, Carbondale Formation (Westphalian D), Pike County, Indiana, US.
Type Specimen FMNH PF13228, partial skeleton lacking the anterior end of the skull
Iniopterygiformes is an extinct order of small cartilaginous fish related to modern ratfish. They are characterized by enormous pectoral fins placed almost on their back rather than on their sides. Cervifurca ("deer fork") is one of the oddest members, being dorso-ventrally flattened. It probably lived at the bottom of the seas.
October 17, 2021
References:
Zangerl, R. (1997). Cervifurca nasuta n. gen. et sp., an interesting member of the Iniopterygidae (Subterbranchialia, Chondrichthyes) from the Pennsylvanian of Indiana, USA (No. 35). Field Museum of Natural History.
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