Thoracopterus

Thoracopterus is an extinct genus of overwater gliding ray-finned fish. It was common to the late Middle Triassic and Late Triassic epochs in what is now Europe and China.[1]

Thoracopterus
Temporal range:
Thoracopterus magnificus fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Subphylum:
Vertebrata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
†Perleidiformes
Family:
†Thoracopteridae
Genus:
†Thoracopterus

Bronn, 1858
Binomial name
†Thoracopterus niederristi
Bronn, 1858
Other species
  • †T. magnificus Tintori & Sassi, 1992
  • †T. martinisi Tintori & Sassi, 1992
  • †T. telleri (Abel, 1906)
  • †T. wushaensis Tintori et al., 2012
Synonyms

Thoracopterus had elongate pectoral fins, similar to modern Exocoetidae, which are used to glide overwater in order to escape aquatic predators. Thoracopterus represents one of the earliest known example for overwater gliding in actinopterygians.

Thoracopterus magnificus fossil
Potanichthys from the Triassic of China is considered a younger synonym of Thoracopterus

References
  1. Tintori, Andrea; Sassi, Davide (1992). "Thoracopterus Bronn (Osteichthyes: Actinopterygii): A Gliding Fish from the Upper Triassic of Europe". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 12 (3): 265–283. Bibcode:1992JVPal..12..265T. doi:10.1080/02724634.1992.10011459. JSTOR 4523452.
  • Fishes of the World by Joseph S. Nelson (page 95)
  • Wildlife of Gondwana: Dinosaurs and Other Vertebrates from the Ancient Supercontinent (Life of the Past) by Pat Vickers Rich, Thomas Hewitt Rich, Francesco Coffa, and Steven Morton
  • The Rise of Fishes: 500 Million Years of Evolution by John A. Long


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