Luopingichthys bergi Sun et al, 2009

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata Haeckel 1874
Class: Actinopteri Cope 1871
Order: Perleidiformes Berg 1937
Family: Polzbergiidae Griffith 1977
Genus: Luopingichthys
Species: Luopingichthys bergi
Author Citation Sun et al, 2009

Geological Time Scale

Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Mesozoic
Period: Triassic
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Middle
International Age: Anisian (Pelsonian)

Stratigraphy

Guanling Formation

Biostratigraphy

Nicoraella kockeli Zone

Provenance

Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

Dimensions

Length: 9 cm

Location

Daaozi Village
Luoping County
Yunnan Province
China

• anisian
• guanling formation
• luoping
• luopingichthys
• prc
• tff-oilshale-ch1171
• triassic
• yunnan

Comments

Taxonomy from Fossilworks.org.
Etymology: From Luoping County (Yunnan Province, South China), where the new fossiliferous site yielding these specimens is located; dedicated to Lev Semenovich Berg (1876—1950), a famous geographer and biologist, member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, for his great contributions to the study of fossil fishes.
Diagnosis for the genus from Sun et al. 2009, p. 462: “Fusiform to deep fusiform polzbergid. Preopercular sickle-shaped, with a short infraorbital process, a vertically oriented dorsal region and an expanded, anteriorly curved, ventral one. Premaxillary, extending antero-dorsally to the maxillary for at least 2/3 of its length; thin procumbent anterior teeth. No field of modified scales at the base of anal fin. Caudal fin with four or five epaxial rays."
Diagnosis for the species from Sun et al. 2009, p. 462: "Medium-sized Luopingichthys, with a fusiform body. Six teeth borne by premaxillary, three or four by maxillary and six by dentary. Coronoid(s) present; skull bones heavily ornamented with tubercles, short ridges and small patches of ganoine randomly arranged. Ornamentation on scales reduced to faint longitudinal ridges giving rise to a posterior serration; mid-dorsal ridge scales well differentiated. Stout fringing fulcra on dorsal and anal fins. Caudal fin with rudimentary lepidotrichia and four or five epaxial rays."

Drawing of the skull from Sun et al. 2009 (scale bar equals 5mm):

References:
Z. Sun, A. Tintori, D. Jiang, C. Lombardo, M. Rusconi, W. Hao, and Y. Sun. 2009. A New Perleidiform (Actinopterygii, Osteichthyes) from the Middle Anisian (Middle Triassic) of Yunnan, South China. Acta Geologica Sinica 83(3):460-470.