Sphenocephalus

Sphenocephalus
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Genus: †
Agassiz, 1839

Sphenocephalus (from Greek: σφήν sphḗn, 'wedge' and Greek: κεφαλή kephalḗ 'head') is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived during the Cretaceous period. Fossils have been found in England and Italy.

Sphenocephalus was about 20 centimetres (8 in) long, with a rather large head, and may have resembled a modern black bass in appearance. It was one of the earliest fish to have the pelvic fins placed beneath th pectoral fins, a common feature in modern fish that improves swimming manoeuvrability. Like the modern trout-perches, it possessed a mixture of modern and primitive features, and it was probably one of the earliest perciform fish.[1]

References

  1. ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 41. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.


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