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  • Gyrodus circularis Agassiz, 1844


    Images:

    oilshale

    Taxonomy

    Puffer toothfish

    Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
    Class: Actinopteri Cope 1871
    Order: Pycnodontiformes Berg 1937
    Family: Gyrodontidae Berg 1940
    Genus: Gyrodus
    Species: Gyrodus circularis
    Author Citation Agassiz, 1844

    Geological Time Scale

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

    Stratigraphy

    Weissjura Group
    Painten Formation

    Biostratigraphy

    Hybonoticeras beckeri Zone
    Lithacoceras ulmense Subzone

    Provenance

    Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

    Dimensions

    Length: 26 cm

    Location

    Rygol Quarry
    Painten
    Bavaria
    Germany

    Comments

    The genus Gyrodus is a characteristic faunal element of Late Jurassic marine environments and includes the largest known pycnodont (G. circularis, Upper Jurassic of southern Germany). Most pycnodonts are small to medium sized fishes with a standard body length of some 25 cm or less. Only a few large forms with a standard body length of more than 50 cm are known. Gyrodus circularis is the largest pycnodont with a standard body length up to 200 cm (KRIWET & SCHMITZ 2005).

    References:

    L. Agassiz (1843) Recherches Sur Les Poissons Fossiles. Tome I (livr. 18). Imprimerie de Petitpierre, Neuchatel xxxii-188.

    Kriwet, J. (2005) A comprehensive study of the skull and dentition of pycnodont fishes. Zitteliana, 2005, A45, pp. 135-188.

    Kriwet, J. and Schmitz, L. (2005) New insight into the distribution and palaeobiology of the pycnodont fish Gyrodus. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 50 (1): 49–56.




    User Feedback


    I had to pick up my jaw off the floor when I saw this!!!  Then I had to take my heart attack medicine!!!   Then I had to take another look to make sure of what I was seeing!!!   Quite the fish this one! 

     

    RB

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    oilshale

    Posted (edited)

    3 hours ago, RJB said:

    I had to pick up my jaw off the floor when I saw this!!!  Then I had to take my heart attack medicine!!!   Then I had to take another look to make sure of what I was seeing!!!   Quite the fish this one! 

     

    RB


    Thank you, my friend :heartylaugh:. This fish is only 26 cm long. Just imagine it would be fully grown and 200 cm long (6' 7" !)

    Edited by oilshale

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    Beautiful!  Must have been a joy to prepare. 

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