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  • Icarealcyon malagasium Beltan, 1984


    Images:

    oilshale

    Taxonomy

    "Flying Fish"

    Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
    Class: Actinopteri Cope 1871
    Order: Parasemionotiformes Lehmann 1966
    Family: Parasemionotidae Stensiö 1932
    Genus: Icarealcyon
    Species: Icarealcyon malagasium
    Author Citation BELTAN, 1984

    Geological Time Scale

    Eon: Phanerozoic
    Era: Mesozoic
    Period: Triassic
    Sub Period: None
    Epoch: Early
    International Age: Dienerian

    Stratigraphy

    Beaufort Group
    Sakamena Formation

    Biostratigraphy

    Lystrosaurus and Cynognathus Zone
    Fish and Ammonite Horizon

    Provenance

    Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

    Location

    Ambilobe
    Antsiranana Province
    Diana Region
    Madagascar

    Comments

    Taxonomy from Fossilworks.org.

    Due to its enormous pectoral fins, Icarealcyon malagasium was described by Beltan as a "poisson volant" - a "flying fish" -  in the family Semionotidae (not related to what is now known as "flying fish" - these are Exocoetidae in the order Beloniformes).

    You would expect flying fish to be fast swimmers - the rather thickset appearance of Icarealcyon more likely hints to slow swimmers with relatively high maneuverability (comparable to Albertonia from British Columbia).
    Icarealcyon was described by Beltan on the basis of poor material - in all three specimens only the body without head was preserved. Icarealcyon is probably closely related to Albertonia, or possibly even a synonym.

    Line drawing from Beltan 1984, p. 78:

    image.png.76faa868070fd14b62cdfae246c46d24.png

    References:

    L. Beltan. 1984. A propos d'un poisson volant biplan d l'Eotrias du NW de Madagascar: Icarealcyon malagasium Beltan. Annales de la Société Géologique du Nord 103:75-82




    User Feedback


    Fossildude19

    Posted

    Another amazing fossil!

    Wonderful, Thomas!

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    Nice fish concretion.   I may have one of these?

     

    Ron

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    Thanks! It took me almost four years to get my hands on one of these fish. I guess they are not even so rare - just difficult to identify unless you can clearly see the large pectoral fins.

    Thomas

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    I got mine off ebay.  Your fish is in better shape than the one I have, but the interesting thing about the one I have is, its got some ammonite pieces on the bottom side of the fish. 

     

    Ron

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