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Menner described this species, under the generic name of Pavlovichthys, from the Lower Khadum deposits of the Caucasus. Taxonomy from paleobiodb.org. Diagnosis for the genus Holosteus from Danil'chenko 1960 p. 40: “Body length about 8-12 times the height; head length 2-3 times body height. Snout long, conical. Lower jaw articulated with quadrate in front of the orbit, and bearing sharp flat teeth: small anteriorly, larger in the posterior region. Premaxilla long, thin, fringing the entire length of the jaw. Vertebrae 70-90. Ribs thin, long. Trunk vertebrae with bifurcated neurapophyses. Intermuscular ossicles well developed. Dorsal and anal fin situated in posterior part of body; anal starting in front of vertical from beginning of dorsal. Pelvic fins wide, with numerous rays. Several free, rayless interapophyses behind the occiput, the anterior of them with small bony plates. Caudal stem thin. Caudal fin separated from anal and dorsal by small interval. Caudal fin rays surrounding the urostyle. Though retaining the main characteristics of the Paralepididae, Holosteus differs from all recent genera of the family in the position of the dorsal fin, which is displaced backward behind the beginning of the anal, in the wide pelvic fins and in the marked development of intermuscular ossicles.” Line drawing from Danil'chenko 1969, p. 41: Identified by oilshale using Danil'chenko 1969. References: Agassiz L. (1835) Recherches Sur Les Poissons Fossiles. Tome IV (livr. 4). Imprimerie de Petitpierre, Neuchatel 33-52. MENNER W. W. (1948) Ichtiofauna maikopskikh otlozheniy Kavkaza. Trudy Instit. Geol Nauk, vyp. 98, 30: 51–62. Danil'chenko P. G. (1960) Bony fishes of the Maikop deposits of the Caucasus. Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta 78:1-247. KOTLARCZYK, J.; JERZMAÑSKA, A.; OEWIDNICKA, E.; WISZNIOWSKA, T.(2006): A FRAMEWORK OF ICHTHYOFAUNAL ECOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE OLIGOCENE–EARLY MIOCENE STRATA OF THE POLISH OUTER CARPATHIAN BASIN. Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae (2006), vol. 76: 1–111.

Taxonomy from Fossilworks.com. The occurrence of Trachinus minutus is limited to the lower part of the IPM2 zone, which has been delineated within the frame of the biostratigraphic fish zonation in the Polish Oligo-Miocene sediments by Kotlarczyk and Jerzmańska 2006. Diagnosis from Jerzmańska 1968, p. 453 (translated from french by oilshale):” Preopercule with 5 spines, one of them longer. Operculum with 2 spines. 30-31 vertebrae. In the first dorsal 6 spines, in the second 18-20 rays. Anal with 22-23 rays.” Line drawing from Prikryl 2017, p. 77: Identified by oilshale using Přikryl 2017. References: Jonet, S. (1958): Contributions à l’étude des schistes disodyliques oligocènes de Roumanie. La fauna ichthyologique de Homorâciu District de Prahova. Sociedade Tipográfica, Lda, Lisboa, 112 pp. Jerzmańska, A. (1968) Ichtyofaune des couches a menilite (flysch des Karpathes). – Acta Palaeontol. Pol., 13(3): 379-487. Pharisat, A. (1991): La paleoichthyofaune du Rupelian marin de Froidefontaine. – Ann. Sci. Univ. Fr.-Comté, Besançon, Geol., 4(11): 13-97. Kotlarczyk, J., Jerzmańska, A., Świdnicka, E., Wiszniowska, T. (2006) A framework of ichthyofaunal ecostratigraphy of the Oligocene-Early Miocene strata of the Polish Outer Carpathian basin. – Ann. Soc. Geol. Pol., 76: 1-111. Přikryl, T. (2009) A juvenile Trachinus minutus (Pisces, Perciformes, Trachinidae) from the Middle Oligocene of Litenčice (Moravia, Czech Republic). Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae Series B Historia Naturalis 65(1-2):3-8. Přikryl, T. (2017) Notes on development of the Oligocene trachinid Trachinus minutus ( Jonet, 1958). Palaeontographica Abteilung a -Stuttgart- 308(1-3):69-87.

Taxonomy from Prikryl et al. 2014. Diagnosis from Prikryl et al. 2014, p. 694: "This species differ from the other species in the greater number of spines in the first dorsal fin (VIII or IX vs. VI in P. rebeli and VII in P. pietschmanni); by presence of 25 rays (first is probably spinous) in the second dorsalfin vs. I + 23 in P. rebeli and I + 27 in P. pietschmanni; lower number of rays in anal fin (28 rays with unrecognizable spines vs. II + 32 in P. rebeli and II + 40 in P. pietschmanni); and by presence of small teeth on the premaxilla (vs. relatively large teeth in the other species)" Line drawing of the holotype by Prikryl et al. 2014, p. 695. Identified by A. Bannikov (Borisyak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences). References: Tomás Prikryl, Alexandre F. Bannikov, Ionut. Gradianu, Iwona Kania & Wiesław Krzeminski (2014) Revision of the family Propercarinidae (Perciformes, Stromateoidei) with description of a new species from the Oligocene of the Carpathians. Comptes Rendus Palevol Volume 13, Issue 8, Pages 691-700.

Taxonomy according to Bieńkowska-Wasiluk et al. 2018. Bieńkowska-Wasiluk et al. 2018, p 75: “Small perch-like fishes, common in the Oligocene of the Outer Carpathians, have been traditionally assigned to the perciform species Serranus budensis (Heckel, 1856) (see Paucă, 1933; Jonet, 1958; Jerzmańska, 1968; Kotlarczyk et al., 2006). This species has also been reported in the Oligocene of the Caucasus and the Upper Rhine Graben (Danil’chenko, 1960; Pharisat, 1991; Micklich, 1998; Pharisat and Micklich, 1998; Prokofiev, 2009; Bannikov, 2010). Recently, Prokofiev (2009) selected S. budensis as the type species of his new genus Oligoserranoides. While, Bannikov (2010) placed S. budensis in his new genus Oliganodon. The species S. budensis was formerly assigned to the family Serranidae by Danil’chenko (1960) and Jerzmańska (1968). However, Micklich (1998) indicated that this assignment was incorrect because of the absence of three spines on the opercle of S. budensis, a diagnostic character of the Serranidae (Johnson, 1983). Prokofiev (2009) and Bannikov (2010) assigned S. budensis (referred in their papers to as Oligoserranoides budensis and Oliganodon budensis, respectively) to Percoidei incertae sedis due to the lack of diagnostic characters of any fossil or extant percoid family, and noting the morphological differences and similarities to some fossil and extant taxa.” Bieńkowska-Wasiluk et al. 2018, p. 78: "Diagnosis genus (emended). The genus is diagnosed by the following unique combination of characters: maximum body depth in standard length 21-40%; supramaxilla absent; palatine toothless; preopercle with serration; opercle with two spines; 7 branchiostegal rays, ceratohyal without a beryciform foramen; posttemporal with serrated posterior margin; 24 vertebrae (10 abdominal); three predorsals; predorsal formula 0/0/0+2/1+1/ or /0+0/0+2/1+1/; 8 pleural ribs; pectoral fins long, reaching anterior part of anal fin and with 14-17 rays; dorsal fin continuous with 9 to 10 spines and 9 to 11 soft rays; three spines and 8 to 9 soft rays in anal fin; caudal fin forked with 17 principal rays; three epurals; procurrent spur lacking; and ctenoid scales." Line drawing from Bieńkowska-Wasiluk et al., p. 80: Identified by oilshale using Bieńkowska-Wasiluk et al., 2018. References: Bannikov, A.F. (2010). Fossil vertebrates of Russia and adjacent countries. Fossil Acanthopterygians Fishes (Teleostei, Acanthopterygii). Moscow, GEOS, 243pp. Bieńkowska-Wasiluk, M., Pałdyna, M. (2018). Taxonomic revision of the Oligocene percoid fish Oligoserranoides budensis (Heckel, 1856), from the Paratethys and paleobiogeographic comments. Geologica Acta: an international earth science journal. 2018, 16(1), 75-92. https://doi.org/10.1344/GeologicaActa2018.16.1.5 Danil’chenko, P.G. (1960). Bony fishes of the Maikop Deposits of the Caucasus [in Russian]. Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta, Akademii Nauk SSSR, 78, 1-208. Heckel, J. (1856). Beiträge zur Kenntniss der fossilen Fische Österreichs. Denkschriften der Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mathematisch-Naturwissenshaftliche Classe, 11, 187-274. Jerzmańska, A. (1968). Ichtyofaune des couches à ménilite (flysch des Karpathes). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 13(3), 379-488. Johnson, G.D. (1983). Niphon spinosus: A primitive epinepheline serranid, with comments on the monophyly and intrarelationships of the Serranidae. Copeia, 3, 777-787. Jonet, S. (1958). Contributions a l’etude des schistes disodyliques oligocenes de Roumanie, La Faune ichthyologique de Homoraciu District de Prahova. Lisbonne, Sociedade Tipográfica, Lda, 112pp. Kotlarczyk, J., Jerzmańska, A., Świdnicka, E., Wiszniowska, T. (2006). A framework of ichthyofaunal ecostratigraphy of the Oligocene-Early Miocene strata of the Polish Outer Carpathian basin. Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae, 76(1), 1-111. Micklich, N. (1998). New information on the fishfauna of the Frauenweiler fossil site. Italian Journal of Zoology, 65(S1), 169-184. Paucă, M. (1933). Die fossile Fauna und Flora aus dem Oligozän von Suslăneşti-Muscel in Rumänien. Eine systematische und paläobiologische Studie. Anuarul Institutului Geological României, 16, 1-99. [for 1931]. Pharisat, A. (1991). La paléoichthyofaune du Rupélien marin de Froidefontaine (Territoire de Belfort). Annales Scientifiques de l’Université Franche-Comté Besançon, Géologie, 4(11), 13-97. Pharisat, A., Micklich, N. (1998). Oligocene fishes in the western Paratethys of the Rhine Valley Rift System. Italian Journal of Zoology, 65(Supplement S1), 163-168. Prokofiev, A.M. (2009). Systematics of Oligocene percoids classified as “Serranus budensis”, with the description of new taxa. Aktualny’e Problemy’ Sovremennoj Nauki, 2(46), 199-222.

Identified by A. Bannikov, Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences. According to A. F. Bannikov, the first record of the species Isurichthys in the Polish Carpathian Mountains. From the Jamna Dolna II section, which is an artificial exposure about 2 km south of the original Jamna Dolna exposure. Diagnosis from A. F. Bannikov (2012): "Body slightly elongated, its depth equal to, or greater than, head length. Head 0.34–0.29 of body length. Supraoccipital crest high. Jaw teeth small, uniserial. Vertebrae 28–31 in number, including 16–19 caudal vertebrae; parapophyses present on posterior abdominal vertebrae. Neural spines very slender. Ribs relatively long, absent on haemal spine of first caudal vertebra. Spinous part of dorsal fin with 8–12 spines, soft part with 15–18 widely spaced rays. In anal fin, 15–16 rays also widely spaced. About three anterior interhaemals entering abdominal cavity, their dorsal ends closely positioned. Pectoral fins long, usually reaching origin of anal fin. Pelvic fins moderately long. Caudal fin large, deeply forked. Scales large,cycloid." Line drawing fom Baciu & Bannikov 2004, p. 206: From the Jamna Dolna II section, which is an artificial exposure about 2 km south of the original Jamna Dolna exposure. References: Baciu, Dorin Sorin and Bannikov, Alexandre F. (2004) New stromateoid fishes (Perciformes, Stromateoidei) from the Lower Oligocene of Romania. Journal of Ichthyology 44(3):199-207. Bannikov, Alexandre F. (2012) The first record of the genus Isurichthys (Perciformes, Ariommatidae) in the Lower Oligocene of the Northern Caucasus. Paleontological Journal. Volume 46, pages 171–176. Bannikov, A. F. (2018) A New Genus and Species of Stromateoid Fishes (Perciformes, Stromateoidei) from the Lower Oligocene of the Northern Caucasus. Paleontological Journal 52(6) pages 631-638.

Taxonomy from Fossilworks.org. Diagnosis from Jerzmanska 1968, p. 417: "41-43 vertebrae. The second dorsal ray begins 1-2' vertebrae behind the end of the first. The first ray of the anal under the first rays of the second dorsal. The second dorsal and anal are three vertebrae apart from the anal." References: A. Jerzmanska (1968) Ichtyofaune des couches a ménilite (flysch des Karpathes). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 13(3):379-488

Taxonomy from Fossilworks.org. Diagnosis from Monsch & Bannikov 2012, p. 274: "First and second dorsal fin separated by distance slightly longer than base of first dorsal. Fourteen precaudal vertebrae. Haemal spine 1 comparatively strongly thickened and curved (but not posteriorly hooked, see Weiler 1933, Text-fig. 4). Anal fin with 11–13 rays." References: Pauca, M. (1929) Vorläufige Mitteilung über eine fossile Fischfauna aus den Oligozänschiefern von Suclânesti (Muscel). Acad. Roum. Sect. Sci. Bull. v. 12, p. 112-121. Monsch, Kenneth A. and Bannikov, Alexandre F. (2012) New taxonomic synopses and revision of the scombroid fishes (Scombroidei, Perciformes), including billfishes, from the Cenozoic of territories of the former USSR, Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 102, 253–300, (for 2011).

References: Danil'chenko, P. G. (1960) Bony fishes of the Maikop deposits of the Caucasus. Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Instituta 78:1-247 Jerzmanska, A. (1968) Ichtyofaune des couches a ménilite (flysch des Karpathes). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 13(3):379-488

Upper anterior tooth Lit.: Bieńkowska-Wasiluk, M. and Radwański, A. 2009. A new occurrence of sharks in the Menilite Formation (Lower Oligocene) from the Outer (Flysch) Carpathians of Poland. Acta Geologica Polonica, 59 (2), 235–243. M. Szabo, L. Kocsis 2016: A preliminary report on the Early Oligocene (Rupelian, Kiscellian) selachians from the Kiscell Formation (Buda Mts, Hungary), with the re-discovery of Wilhelm Weiler’s shark teeth. Fragmenta Palaeontologica Hungarica, 33, pp 31-64.

Taxonomy from Baciu & Chanet 2002. Diagnosis from Baciu & Chanet 2002, p. 22 (translated from French by oilshale): "Sinister flatfish, the vertebral column is composed of 35-36 vertebrae of which 11 precaudal vertebrae and 24-25 caudal vertebrae; the ventral branches of the pelvic bones extend anteriorly and support the pelvic fins each composed by 6 soft rays; the dorsal fin is composed by 68-70 soft rays, segmented, of which 8-9 rays are simple, supracranial and unbranched; the anal fin has 52-54 segmented rays; the body is covered by small ctenoid scales." Line drawing by Baciu % Chanet 2002, p. 25: Identified by oilshale using Baciu & Chanet 2002. References: Baciu, D. S. and Chanet, B. (2002) Les Poissons plats fossiles (Teleostei: Pleuronectiformes) de l'Oligocène de Piatra Neamt (Roumanie). Oryctos 4:17-38. Miclăuş Crina, Loiacono F., Puglisi D., Baciu D.S. (2008) Eocene-Oligocene Depositional Systems In The Northern Cratonic Margin of the Paratethys: A Study Case From The Vrancea Nappe (Eastern Carpathians, Romania). Bulletin of the Tethys Geological Society, Cairo, Vol. 3, 81-90.

References: Kotlarczyk, J., Jerzmanska, A., Swidnicka, E. & Wiszniowska, T. (2006) A framework of ichthyofaunal ecostratigraphy of the Oligocene–Early Miocene strata of the Polish Outer Carpathian basin. Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae, 76: 1–111.

Like Palaeogadus, Eophycis is a member of the Gadiformes (including the cod and its allies). Eophycis differs from Palaeogadus by the continuous dorsal fin; Palaeogadus has two dorsal fins separated by a gap. References: A. Jerzmanska (1968) Ichtyofaune des couches a ménilite (flysch des Karpathes). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 13(3):379-488. Tomáš Přikryl (2015): Skeletal anatomy of the early morid fish Eophycis (Gadiformes, Moridae) from an Oligocene deposit in Poland. Comptes Rendus Palevol 14(8):625-635.

Taxonomy from Jerzmanska 1968. Diagnosis from Jerzmanska 1968, p. 437: "Cristae inferiores of the precaudal part do not merge with cristae inferiores of the tail. The latter, however, join cristae mediae of the precaudal part. 16-18 rings in precaudal part and about 19 in tail. In caudal part - 8 rays." Line drawing from Přikryl et al., p. 565. References: Jerzmanska.A (1968). Ichtyofaune des couches a ménilite (flysch des Karpathes). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 13(3):379-488. Přikryl, T., Krzeminski, W., Kania I. (2011): New information about the anatomy of a peculiar fish of the genus Hipposyngnathus Daniltshenko, 1960. Comptes Rendus Palevol, Volume 10, Issue 7, October 2011, Pages 559–566. Přikryl, T., Kania, I. and Krzeminski, W. (2016) Synopsis of fossil fish fauna from the Hermanowa locality (Rupelian; Central Paratethys; Poland): current state of knowledge. Swiss Journal of Geoscience [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]

Photo of the recent Aeoliscus striatus, taken from the Wikipedia article "Schnepfenmesserfische", photo of the author Haplochromis (Jan. 2014) References: Jerzmanska, A. (1968) ICHTYOFAUNE DES COUCHES A MÉNILITE (FLYSCH DES KARPATHES). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. Vol 23, 3, pp 379-488, tab 1-7. Nickolay Parin & Norbert Micklich (1996) Fossil gasterosteiformes from the lower oligocene of Frauenweiler (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) I. New information on the morphology and systematics of the genusAeoliscus Jordan &Starks 1902. Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 1996, Volume 70, Number 3-4, Page 521-545 Photo of the recent Aeoliscus striatus, taken from the Wikipedia article "Schnepfenmesserfische", photo of the author Haplochromis (Jan. 2014)

Reference: A. Jerzmanska (1967): Crabs of the genus Portunus Weber from the Menilite Series of the Carpathians. ANNALES DE LA SOClETE GEOLOGIQUE DE POLOGNE. Vol. 37, 1967, pp. 539-545

Taxonomy from Fossilworks.org. Line drawing from Świdnicki 1986, p. 121: Identified by oilshale using Świdnicki 1986. References: Jacek Świdnicki (1986) Oligocene Zeiformes (Teleostei) from the Polish Carpathians. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 31 (1-2), 1986: 111-135 Baciu, D.-So., Bannikov, A. and Tyler, J. C. (2005): Revision of the fossil fishes of the family Zeidae (Zeiformes). Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona Geologia Paleontologia Preistoria, 29: 95-128. F .SANTINI, J.C. TYLER, A.F. BANNIKOV & Dorin-Sorin BACIU (2007): A phylogeny of extant and fossil buckler dory fishes, family Zeidae (Zeiformes, Acanthomorpha). International Journal of Ichthyology 30(2):99-107

The picture with the two recent Aeoliscus strigatus is from Wikipedia, own work of Karelj. The species in the genera Aeoliscus and Centriscus belong to the family Centriscidae (Razorfishes) within the order Syngnathiformes. The name "Syngnathiformes" means "conjoined-jaws". Syngnathiformes is an order of ray-finned fishes that includes among others the pipefishes and seahorses (Syngnathidae), razorfishes (Centriscidae), trumpetfishes (Aulostomidae) and cornetfishes (Fistulariidae). Fishes of this order have elongate, narrow bodies surrounded by a series of bony rings, and small, tubular mouths. The tubular mouth shows that these members of the Syngnathiformes fed on small Crustaceans and such, much as their modern-day relatives Seahorses and Pipefishes. Centriscidae (Razorfishes) have elongated, strongly compressed and blade like bodies. The head is elongate with a long and slender, tubular snout; the mouth being small and toothless. There are two short-based dorsal fins with the first dorsal-fin spine being fused with the body armor plates. The caudal fin is small, nearly at a right angle to the body axis; the pelvic fins are small, with 4 short soft rays, originating at or behind midbody. Aeoliscus and Centriscus look very much alike however Centriscus differs from Aeoliscus by having a rigid first dorsal spine which is straight and lacking a hinge. The species in the genera Aeoliscus and Centriscus are found in relatively shallow tropical parts of the Indo-Pacific. Razorfish live among seaweed and swim with the body aligned vertically, to blend in with the stems. References: Kotlarczyk, J., A. Jerzmanska, E. Swidnicka, and T. Wiszniowska. 2006. A framework of ichthyofaunal ecostratigraphy of the Oligocene-early Miocene strata of the Polish outer Carpathian basin. Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae 76: 1–111. Parin, N., N. Micklich. 1996. Fossil gasterosteiformes from the lower oligocene of Frauenweiler (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) I. New information on the morphology and systematics of the genus Aeoliscus Jordan &Starks 1902. Palaeontologische Zeitschrift, Volume 70, Numbers 3-4, 521-545.