Bolcaichthys catopygopterus (Woodward, 1901)

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata Haeckel 1874
Class: Actinopteri Cope 1871
Order: Clupeiformes Bleeker 1859
Family: Clupeidae Bleeker 1859
Genus: Bolcaichthys
Species: Bolcaichthys catopygopterus
Author Citation (Woodward, 1901)

Geological Time Scale

Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Cenozoic
Period: Paleogene
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Eocene
International Age: Lutetian

Stratigraphy

Monte Bolca Formation

Biostratigraphy

Alveolina dainelli Zone

Provenance

Collector: T. Bastelberger
Date Collected: 07/01/1989
Acquired by: Field Collection

Dimensions

Length: 7 cm

Location

Monte Bolca Quarry
Bolca (Village)
Veneto (Province)
Italy

• bolcaichthys
• catopygopterus
• eocene
• italy
• lutetian
• monte bolca
• tff-oilshale-ch378

Comments

Taxonomy according to Marramà & Carnevale 2015.

Diagnosis for the genus Bolcaichthys according to Marramà & Carnevale 2015: “Small- to medium-sized clupeid (largest specimen measuring 101.1 mm SL) with elongated and tapered body, sardine-like; † Bolcaichthys, gen. nov., is unique among clupeids in having the following combination of characters: head length approximately one third to one quarter SL; skull roof with 10–14 frontoparietal striae; mouth terminal; two supramaxillae, anterior small and rod-like, and posterior paddle-shaped; teeth absents in jaws and palate; complete series of abdominal keeled scutes (10–11 prepelvic and 10 or 11 postpelvic) with ascending arms; dorsal scutes absent; fewer branchiostegal rays (5 or 6), supraneurals (8), vertebrae (40–42), and pleural ribs (20–22) compared with other genera of clupeids; pleural ribs–preural vertebrae ratio ranging from 0.48 to 0.55; three epurals; deeply forked caudal fin with 19 principal caudal-fin rays; dorsal fin small, inserting at about mid-length of the body with 15 or 16 rays; about 15 or 16 anal-fin rays; about 14–18 pectoral-fin rays; pelvic-fin origin slightly in front of or behind the posterior end of the dorsal fin; eight pelvic-fin rays.”

Line drawing of Bolcaichthys catopygopterus (Woodward, 1901) from Marramà and Carnevale, 2015:

Identified by oilshale using Marramà & Carnevale, 2015.
 

References:

Agassiz, L. (1833–1844). Recherches sur les Poissons Fossiles. Petitpierre, Neuchâtel, 1420 pp.

Woodward, A. S. (1901): Catalogue of Fossil Fishes in the British Museum (Natural History), 4: Containing the Actinopterygian Teleostomi of the Suborders Isospondyli (in part), Ostariophysi, Apodes, Percesoces, Hemibranchii, Acanthopterygii and Anacanthini. Taylor and Francis, London, 636 pp.

Marramà, G. & Carnevale, G. (2015): The Eocene sardine †Bolcaichthys catopygopterus (Woodward, 1901) from Monte Bolca, Italy: osteology, taxonomy, and paleobiology, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.    DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2015.1014490