Palaeoperca proxima Micklich, 1978

Taxonomy

Perch

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopteri Cope 1871
Order: Perciformes (Günther 1859), Boulenger 1895
Family: Percichthyidae (Jordan 1923) [sensu Gosline 1966]
Genus: Palaeoperca
Species: Palaeoperca proxima
Author Citation Micklich, 1978

Geological Time Scale

Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Cenozoic
Period: Paleogene
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Eocene
International Age: Ypresian

Stratigraphy

Messel Formation

Provenance

Collector: T. Bastelberger
Date Collected: 06/01/1974
Acquired by: Field Collection

Location

Grube Messel
Messel near Darmstadt
Hessia
Germany

• darmstadt
• eocene
• messel
• palaeoperca
• tff-oilshale-ch23

Comments

Taxonomy from Micklich 1985.

Emended diagnosis from Micklich p. 33 (translated from German by oilshale): "Percoidei with spindle-shaped elongated body; scales medium-sized, ctenoid, covering the entire skull including the exposed parts of the jaw elements covering (there increasingly cycloid). Maximum body width slightly more than 1/3 of standard length. Frontalia robust, with irregularly ridged surface; mandibles finely dentate in several rows. Maxillary short, reaching only orbital anterior margin; no supramaxillary. Lacrimals entire, praeoperculum with finely dentate posterior margin and smooth lower margin. Operculum posteriorly with two flattened spinous processes; 6 (7?) branchiostegalia. Two distinctly separated dorsal fins with VIII, I+ 8 -9 rays. Spines I and II with common fin support, hard rays IV-V longest. Caudal fin forked incised, with 17 main rays (9/8, of which 15 branched); uppermost marginal ray in lower caudallobus at base with so-called "procurrent spur" Caudal supporting skeleton acentric with 3 epuralia and one urodermal. Analis with III+ 6 -8 rays; spines I to III gradually increasing in length, with I and II together with anteriormost soft ray sharing a common fin support 
shared. Pectoral fins slightly caudad offset from pectoral fins, with 15 soft rays on 4 radial elements. Posttemporals and angles of cleithrum toothed on posterior margin. Ventral fins with one hard and 5 jointed soft rays; caudolateral margin of pelvic bones near spine insertion bulgingly reinforced, processus medialis posterior short. Almost always 23 (10 + 13) vertebrae; epipleuralia present. Presumed additional delimitation characters: Absence of praedorsalia; limited to scapula. Articulation of radialia on shoulder girdle."

Line drawing from Micklich 1985, p. 56:

Identified by oilshale.

References:
Micklich, N. (1978): Palaeoperca proxima, ein neuer Knochenfisch aus dem Mittel-Eozän von Messel bei Darmstadt. Senckenbergiana lethaea, 59 (4/6), 483-501.
Micklich, N. (1985): Biologisch-paläontologische Untersuchungen zur Fischfauna der Messeier Ölschiefer (Mittel-Eozän, Lutetium). Andrias, 4: 171.