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Amphiplaga is one of the rarer of the Green River fish fossils, making up some 1% of the total from Fossil Lake, its only known location. Amphiplaga belongs together with its close relative Erismatopterus to the family Percopsidae within the order Percopsiformes. Amphiplaga is best distinguished from Erismatopterus by its dorsal fin, which has three hard spines (the first one is very small) followed by 9 or 10 soft rays. Erismatopterus usually has two hard spines followed by 6 or 7 soft spines. Amphiplaga can reach up to 15cm with an average length of about 10cm while Erismatopterus does not exceed 12cm with an average length of about 5cm. The Order Percopsiformes is a small order of North American freshwater fishes that includes three families: Amblyopsidae (cavefishes); Aphredoderidae (pirate perches); and Percopsidae (trout-perches). Closely related to neither trout nor perch, trout-perches have characteristics of both the trout and perch families. They exhibit characters of the salmonids, such as an adipose fin, cycloid scales, and soft fin rays, as well as characters of the percids, such as dorsal and anal fin spines, and ctenoid scales. Trout-perch are generally silvery in appearance, often with a partially transparent appearance, and relatively large heads and eyes. They are small fish with weak fin spines, and an adipose fin similar to those of trouts. They feed on insects and small crustaceans. Fossil percopsids are only known from North America, the current home of the extant genus Percopsis References: E. D. Cope (1877) A contribution to the knowledge of the ichthyological fauna of the Green River shales. Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey 3(4):807-819. Grande, L. (1984): PALEONTOLOGY OF THE GREEN RIVER FORMATION, WITH A REVIEW OF THE FISH FAUNA. THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WYOMING, BULLETIN 63,
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From the album: Vertebrates
Erismatopterus levatus (COPE, 1870) Middle Eocene Green River Formation Lake Gosiute Wyoming USA Length 3.2" / 9 cm-
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What is up with Lake Gosiute and Sweet Water Wyoming?
Mioplosus_Lover24 posted a topic in Questions & Answers
I am wondering why Lake Gosiute has been closed off to the public. It is the only part of fossil lake that has catfish and I really want to try and find one, instead of paying thousands of dollars for one. I have heard it was bought by a company, but I was still wondering if they would let a small private team dig or if they would sell any of the fossils. Thanks for any help!-
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Astephus and Hypsidoris are both members of the Family Ictaluridae, native to North America. Green River catfish are easily recognized by their stout dorsal and pectoral spines, scale less bodies and broad skull. Ictalurid species have four pairs of barbels (or whiskers). Like modern catfish, they possessed a vibration sensitive organ called the Weberian apparatus. The Weberian apparatus consists out of specialized vertebrae at the front of the spinal column which passed vibrations to the inner ear using the swim bladder as a resonance chamber. The structure essentially acts as an amplifier of sound waves that would otherwise be only slightly perceivable by the inner ear structure alone. Normal size of Astephus is around 15cm and rarely exceeds 18cm, maximum total length is about 30cm. Hypsidoris seems to be in the same size range. The diet of Green River catfish was probably similar to existing ictalurids consisting of plants, small fish, crayfish and mollusks. Astephus and Hypsidoris were probably bottom feeders. Astephus antiquus is unknown as a body fossil in the middle unit of Fossil Butte Member, and only one specimen has been found in all of Fossil Lake, although it is abundant in Lake Gosiute strata. The discovery of numerous and widespread fossil catfish in oil shale units of the Laney Member of the Eocene Green River Formation is evidence of aerobic conditions in the hypolimnic waters of ancient Lake Gosiute. Hypsidoris farsonensis has only been found in Lake Gosiute deposits of the Green River Formation, east of Fossil Lake. References: Grande, L. and J. G. Lundberg (1988) Revision and redescription of the genus Astephus (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae) with a discussion of its phylogenetic relationships. J. Vert. Paleont 8:139–171. Grande, L. (1987) Redescription of Hypsidoris farsonensis (Teleostei: Siluriformes), with a reassessment of its phylogenetic relationships. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 7:24–54. Grande, L. and de Pinna, M. C. C. (1998) Description of a second species of the catfish Hypsidoris and a reevaluation of the genus and the family Hypsidoridae. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 18:451–474.