Elasmodectes avitus (VON MEYER, 1862)

Taxonomy

Plownose chimaera

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Chimaeriformes
Family: Chimaeridae
Genus: Elasmodectes
Species: Elasmodectes avitus
Author Citation (VON MEYER, 1862)

Geological Time Scale

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

Stratigraphy

Weissjura Group
Painten Formation

Biostratigraphy

Beckeri Zone
Ulmense Subzone
eigeltingense-Horizon

Provenance

Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

Dimensions

Length: 14 cm

Location

Rygol quarry
Painten
Bavaria
Germany

• chimaera
• elasmodectes
• ischyodus
• jurassic
• painten
• rhinochimaeroidae
• tff-oilshale-ch1856
• tithonian

Comments

Von Mayer originally described this chimaera under the name Ischyodus avitus.

Elasmodectes avitus, a cartilaginous fish, is conspicuous for its sparsely ossified skeleton. There is a nuchal spine behind the head; the dorsal fin begins just behind the nuchal spine and extends to the tail. Elasmodectes seems to have possessed a skin or only very thin scales, which seems to be almost impossible to preserve.

The Skull is presenting its dosal view.

 

Reverence:

WOODWARD, A.S. (1891) Catalogue of the fossil fishes in the British Museum (Natural History). Part II. containing the Elasmobranchii (Acanthodii). Holocephali, Ichthyodorulites, Ostracodermi, Dipnoi, and Teleostomi (Crossopterygii and chondrostean Actinopterygii). XLIV + 567 pp. (Taylor & Francis), London.

 

SCHWEIZER, R. (1964) Die Elasmobranchier und Holocephalen aus den Nusplinger Plattenkalken. Palaeontographica, Abt. A, 123 (123): 58–110, 15 fig., pl. 7–12.

 

POPOV, E.V. & DUFFIN, C. & TISCHLINGER, H. & ATUCHIN, A. (2013)
Reconstructions of the German Plattenkalk (Late Jurassic) chimaeroid fishes (Holocephali, Chimaeroidei). Abstract. In: SCHWARZ, C. & KRIWET, J. (editors): 6th International Meeting on Mesozoic Fishes – Diversification and Diversity Patterns, Vienna, Austria August 4th–10th, 2013: 56

 

E. Popov (2014): A revision of the Late Mesozoic chimaeroid genus Elasmodectes (Holocephali, Chimaeroidei) [Poster] 

Conference: 74th Annual Meeting, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, November 5-8, 2014, Berlin, Germany At: Estrel Berlin, Germany