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Taxonomy from Schweigert et al. 1998. Description by Schweigert et al. 1998, p. 28 (translated from German by oilshale):"Muensteria vermicularis Sternberg alias Epitrachys rugosus (Eulers) is an elongated, gradually widening structure with a rough, granular surface. Usually it is not strictly straight but slightly curved. Particularly characteristic is a fine striation or wrinkling running transverse to the longitudinal axis. This striation gradually disappears on the broader end, so that it is only dimly discernible in the rock, if at all." References: Sternberg, K. M. (1833): Versuch einer geognostisch-botanischen Darstellung der Flora der Vorwelt. II. Band, 5/6: 1-80, 26 Taf.; Prag (J. Spurny). Ehlers, E. (1869): Über fossile Würmer aus dem lithographischen Schiefer in Bayern.- Palaeontographica, 17: 145-175, 7 Taf.; Cassel. Schweigert, G., Dietl, G. & Röper, M. (1998): Muensteria vermicularis Sternberg (Vermes, Sabellidae) aus oberjurassischen Plattenkalken Süddeutschlands. Mitt. Bayer. Staatsslg. Paläont. hist. Geol. 38, 25-37.

Taxonomy from Mindat.org. Diagnosis from Enay and Hess 1962, p. 662 (translated from french by oilshale): "Small species. Disc granulated on both sides (radial shields included), the granules hiding small imbricate plates. Radial shields and plates articulated by means of two condyles and a facet carried by both the radial shield and the corresponding plate. Radial shields of moderate width, those of the same radius not touching. Ambulacral parts of oral plates or jaws (= oral frames of Matsumoto) without wings. Double peristomal plates. About 6 contiguous oral papillae on each side. Probably no dental papillae. Teeth obtuse, not very strong. Adoral plates in contact proximal to the buccal shield. Brachial spines 3, erect, a little longer than the article. Ventral brachial plates pentagonal, longer than wide, contiguous on half of the arm only. Dorsal brachial plates triangular with a very convex distal margin. Tentacular pores on almost the entire length of the arms, two tentacular scales per pore. Vertebrae with zygospondyle articulation." Kutscher and Röper 1965 note that “Ophiopetra lithographica differs from Sinosura kelheimense, which occurs simultaneously with it, already by the protruding, distinct spines, the non-keeled dorsal shields, the distinct spiny warts and the sickle-shaped bursal spines.” (translated from german by oilshale). References: Enay, R.; Hess, H. (1962) Sur la découverte d'Ophiures (Ophiopetra lithographica ng.nsp.) dans le Jurrassique supérieur du Haut-Valrmomey (Jura méridional). Eclogae geologicae Helvetiae. 55(2), 657-673, pl. I-II. Kutscher, M.; Röper, M. (1965) Die Ophiuren des Papierschiefers von Hienheim (Malm zeta 3, Untertithon). Archaeopteryx, 13: 85-99.

Diagnosis from Haug & Haug 2021, p. 11: "Stomatopod of moderate size. Body subcylindrical. Posterior feeding apparatus (maxillipeds 2–5) with first pair of raptorial appendages large, second pair of medium size, posterior two pairs being small. No dorsal surface ornamentation on shield or tergites. Pleopods with multi-annulated (outer ?) ramus. Uropods with lanceolate to paddle-shaped endo- and exopods. Endopods of uropods with serration along the median margin. Exopods of uropods with movable teeth along the lateral margin." References: C. Giebel. 1857. Zur Fauna des lithographischen Schiefers von Solenhofen. Zeitschrift für die Gesammten Naturwissenschaft 9:373-388. A. Kunth. 1870. Ueber wenig bekante Crustaceen von Solenhofen. Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft 22:771-802. J. Haug, C. Haug, A. Maas, D. Waloszek & V. Kutschera (2010): Evolution of mantis shrimps (Stomatopoda, Malacostraca) in the light of new Mesozoic fossils. BMC Evolutionary Biology 10(1):290. Haug C, Haug JT. (2021). A new fossil mantis shrimp and the convergent evolution of a lobster-like morphotype. PeerJ 9:e11124 DOI 10.7717/peerj.11124

Lit.: Polz, Hermann (1994) Mayrocaris bucculata gen. nov. sp. nov. (Thylacocephala, Conchyliocarida) aus den Solnhofener Plattenkalken. Archaeopteryx, 12: 35-44 Haug et al. (2014) The implications of a Silurian and other thylacocephalan crustaceans for the functional morphology and systematic affinities of the group. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2014, 14 :159http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/14/1/159

References: Arratia, G. & Schultze, H.-P. (2007): Eurycormus – – Eurypoma, two Jurassic actinopterygian genera with mixed identity. Fossil Record 10(1) (2007), 17–37.

Belonostomus together with Aspidorhynchus and Vinctifer belongs to the Aspidorhynchidae. Belonostomus and other members of the extinct Aspidorhynchidae family are sometimes called "Needle Fishes". Although the Aspidorhynchidae would have looked superficially similar to the present day gar or a scaled-down version of a modern swordfish, its closest living relative is actually the bowfin. Even the rather similar looking Rhynchodercetis, a fish from the Cretaceous of Lebanon and Morocco, is not related to Aspidorhynchus and Belonostomus. There are two forms described: Belonostomus muensteri Agassiz 1837 and Belonostomus tenuirostris A. Wagner, 1863, the even rarer and above all much smaller representative from the locality Zandt. The species name tenuirostris refers to its tiny rostrum. Whereas the genus Aspidorhynchus (meaning "shield snout") is rather common in the Solnhofen Formation (lower Tithonian, Malm zeta 2a and b, 147mio), the genus Belonostomus (meaning “big long mouth”) is a scarcity. Only in the Daiting area, its marginal outcrop, a larger number of those fishes were recovered. The Daiting deposits are slightly younger and belong to the Mörnsheim Formation (Lower Tithonian, Malm zeta 3, 148mio). This Belonostomus here comes from Painten and is somewhat older (Kimmeridgian, Malm epsilon, 151mio). Similar in body shape to Aspidorhynchus, Belonostomus was also a slender, fast-swimming fish with its fins set far back on the body, like those of a pike. Fish with this body shape generally feed by darting out from ambush and grasping other fish by surprise. Belonostomus is characterized by a ganoid scale covering with much deepened scales along the flank, by an elongate fusiform body and head with long slender snout, and by an externally symmetrical tail. Belonostomus muensteri Agassiz, 1837 reached only a size of 30cm (1ft.), so it was the pocket size version of Aspidorhynchus. Whereas Aspidorhynchus has an upper jaw that was longer than the lower jaw and ended in a toothless spike, the lower yaw of Belonostomus was nearly as long as the upper yaw. This rostrum is a bit of a mystery. It is hard to imagine Belonostomus attacking other fish without spearing them even by accident! Their slender body profile and the fact that the upper jaw bones were immobile preventing the fish from inhaling their prey, suggest that Belonostomus was designed to be a predator. Fossil stomach remains of other fish have been found in specimens of Belonostomus. References: Ebert, M. (2014) The genus Belonostomus Agassiz, 1834 (Neopterygii, Aspidorhynchiformes) in the late Jurassic of the Solnhofen Archipelago, with a focus on Belonostomus kochii Münster,1836 from Ettling (Germany). Archaeopteryx 32: 15-43.