Hypsidoris

Hypsidoris is an extinct genus of catfish, classified within its own family Hypsidoridae, from the Eocene epoch of North America.

Hypsidoris
Temporal range: Middle Eocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Siluriformes
Superfamily:
Hypsidoroidea
Family:
Hypsidoridae

Grande, 1987
Genus:
Hypsidoris

Lundberg & Case, 1970
Type species
Hypsidoris farsonensis
Lundberg & Case, 1970
Species

Hypsidoris farsonensis
Lundberg & Case, 1970
Hypsidoris oregonensis
Grande & de Pinna, 1998

Hypsidoris was about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long, and looked similar to the modern catfish, also possessing sensitive barbels used to detect prey in murky waters. It also had a vibration-sensitive organ called the Weberian apparatus, which consisted of specialized vertebrae at the front of the spinal column which passed vibrations to the inner ear, using the swim bladder as a resonance chamber. For defense against predators, Hypsidoris had large spines at the front of each pectoral fin. Like modern catfish, it would probably have eaten smaller fish, along with crayfish and other bottom-dwelling creatures.[1]

There are two species. H. farsonensis is from the Early Middle Eocene of Wyoming and H. oregonensis is from the Middle Eocene of Oregon.[2]

References
  1. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 40. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
  2. Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-25031-7.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.