Coccodus

Coccodus is an extinct genus of extinct pycnodontid fish that lived during the lower Cenomanian.[1] The various species had a pair of massive, curved spines emanating from the lower sides of the head, and one curved spine on the top of its head. Unlike most pycnodontids (which tend to have short, marine butterflyfish-like bodies), Coccodus species had a comparatively long body, giving the living animals a superficial resemblance to a scaly chimaera.

Coccodus Temporal range: Lower Cenomanian[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Coccodus insignis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Pycnodontiformes
Family:	Coccodontidae
Genus:	Coccodus
Species
C. armatus C. insignis

Coccodus is closely related to the similarly spined genera Trewavasia, Corusichthys, Paracoccodus, and Hensodon, which also lived during the Cenomanian of Lebanon.

Formerly in Coccodus

The species Coccodus lindstroemi was recently determined to be a species complex, and various specimens assigned to C. lindstroemi were redescribed as species of the gladiopycnodontid genus Joinivillichthys[2]

See also

• Prehistoric fish
• List of prehistoric bony fish

References

1. Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
2. Taverne, Louis, and Luigi Capasso. "On the “Coccodus” lindstroemi species complex (Pycnodontiformes, Gladiopycnodontidae) from the marine Late Cretaceous of Lebanon, with the description of two new genera." European Journal of Taxonomy 101 (2014).