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  • Caturus furcatus Agassiz, 1834


    Images:

    oilshale

    Taxonomy

    Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
    Class: Actinopteri Cope 1871
    Order: Amiiformes Hay 1929
    Family: Caturidae Stensiö 1932
    Genus: Caturus
    Species: Caturus furcatus
    Author Citation AGASSIZ, 1834

    Geological Time Scale

    Eon: Phanerozoic
    Era: Mesozoic
    Period: Jurassic
    Sub Period: None
    Epoch: Late
    International Age: Tithonian

    Stratigraphy

    Weissjura Group
    Solnhofen Formation

    Biostratigraphy

    Hybonoticeras hybonotum Zone
    Lithacoceras riedense Subzone

    Provenance

    Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

    Dimensions

    Length: 14 cm

    Location

    Schernfeld
    District Eichstätt
    Bavaria
    Germany

    Comments

    The Caturidae are represented in the Solnhofen Formation by at least four species:

    Caturus furcatus Agassiz 1834, Caturus giganteus Wagner, 1851, Caturus pachyurus Agassiz, 1833 (all from Solnhofen) and Caturus bellicianus Thiollière 1852 from Solnhofen, Germany and Cerin, France. The last two species were transferred to the revived sister genus Amblysemius (now Amblysemius pachyurus and Amblysemius bellicianus).  

    C. furcatus was clearly a predator as evidenced by its mouth full of sharp teeth. It was a notable fast swimmer possessing an elongated, somewhat thickset body with slender head. Together with its only sister genus Amblysemius, Caturus was a member of the extinct Halecomorpha family Caturidae. It appears that the halecomorph Liodesmus, known from Solnhofen only, is related to the Caturids, rather than the Amiiforms, as has been usually surmised.  Caturus possessed ganoid scales that are more cycloid in nature and as a member of the holosteans a bony skeleton with a partially ossified vertebral column. The head is short an equipped with powerfully toothed jaws. The dorsal fin is pointed and attached just posterior to the body's midpoint. anal fin is attached somewhat more to the rear. The caudal fin is large and deeply divided.

    Juvenile species.




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