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Miocene_Mason

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The information on Asineops is scarce so I thought I'd do some research and make it publicly available. 

Asineops squamifrons is a Eocene fish and an incertae sedis. They are rare and are most commonly found in a fragile layer of the green river formation at smith hollow quarry. They can be found in fossil lake or lake gosiute. Fossil lake ones are bigger but rarer. I don't know the maximum size on these but I would guess 7-12 inches. Their scales a very distinctive in shape. According to Rosen and Patterson (1969) it may represent a intermediate between acanthopterygians and paracanthopterygians (which looking at a phylogenetic chart is confusing to me) , meaning their closest living relatives would be the troutperch and its allies (percopsiformes). Its relations to other fish are confusing and not understood but it bears some affinity to Nardoichthys (a Italian late Cretaceous fish which seems to be closely related to troutperchess) and prolates (couldn't find much info on this guy).

Diagnostic features include the following:

  • long premaxillary ascending process
  • six branchiostegals
  • unforked caudal fin with 14 principal rays (12 branched)
  • cycloid scales
  • full nueral spine on PU2
  • two epurals
  • free second ural centrum
  • two anal spines
  • two supranuerals
  • unserrated preopercular
  • Pelvis girdle and cleithrum do not touch
  • unfused lower hypurals

sources: Wikipedia

Enigmatic fish

Oilshales topic

@FossilDudeCO

Fossil lake

 

Specimens from top to bottom:

@oilshale

Fossil lake

 

IMG_3283.JPG

IMG_3284.JPG

If you have anything to add, or a specimen to show off, I encourage you to do so! Thanks for reading!

  • I found this Informative 1

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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Asineops= "Donkey face" (Greek) and was described by Edward Drinker Cope 1870.

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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