Deltoptychius

Deltoptychius is an extinct species of cartilaginous fish related to the modern chimaeras. It lived in the Carboniferous period of present-day United Kingdom. Fossils of the genus have been found in the Glencartholm Volcanic Beds Formation of the Upper Border Group in Scotland.

Deltoptychius
Temporal range: Early Carboniferous–Late Carboniferous
Restorations of Menaspis and Deltoptychius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Chondrichthyes
Subclass:
Holocephali
Order:
Chimaeriformes
Family:
†Deltoptychiidae
Genus:
†Deltoptychius

Although it emerged over 300 million years ago, Deltoptychius was similar in appearance to modern-day chimaeras, possessing a long, whip-like tail and large, wing-like pectoral fins that it probably used to glide through the water. Deltoptychius`s large eyes allowed it to hunt in deep waters, crushing shellfish between solid tooth plates in its mouth.[1]

References
  1. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 29. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.


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