Aidachar
Encyclopedia
Aidachar is an extinct genus
of ichthyodectiform teleost
ray-finned fish
from the Late Cretaceous
of Kyzyl Kum
, central Asia
. It was named by Lev Nesov in 1981. At first, he tentatively described the fossil
material as the jaw fragments of a ctenochasmatid
pterosaur
(a flying reptile), but reinterpreted Aidachar as a fish in 1986. The type species
is A. paludalis.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of ichthyodectiform teleost
Teleostei
Teleostei is one of three infraclasses in class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes. This diverse group, which arose in the Triassic period, includes 20,000 extant species in about 40 orders; most living fishes are members of this group...
ray-finned fish
Actinopterygii
The Actinopterygii or ray-finned fishes constitute a class or sub-class of the bony fishes.The ray-finned fishes are so called because they possess lepidotrichia or "fin rays", their fins being webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines , as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize...
from the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
of Kyzyl Kum
Kyzyl Kum
The Kyzyl Kum , also called Qyzylqum, is the 11th largest desert in the world. Its name means Red Sand in Turkic languages. It is located in Central Asia in the doab between the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya, and is divided between Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan...
, central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. It was named by Lev Nesov in 1981. At first, he tentatively described the fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
material as the jaw fragments of a ctenochasmatid
Ctenochasmatidae
Ctenochasmatidae is a group of pterosaurs within the suborder Pterodactyloidea.-Classification:Listing of subfamilies and genera after Unwin 2006 unless otherwise noted.* Family Ctenochasmatidae** Elanodactylus** Gegepterus...
pterosaur
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
(a flying reptile), but reinterpreted Aidachar as a fish in 1986. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is A. paludalis.
External links
- The Pterosaur Species List, 3rd Edition (pdf). Compiled by Michael Hanson.