Coccodus
Encyclopedia
Coccodus is an extinct genus of extinct pycnodontid fish that lived during the lower Cenomanian
. 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 chimaera
.
Coccodus is closely related to the similarly-spined genera Trewavasia
, Ichthyoceros, and Hensodon, which also lived during the Cenomanian of Lebanon
.
Cenomanian
The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous series. An age is a unit of geochronology: it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the stratigraphic column deposited during the corresponding...
. 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
Butterflyfish
The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. Found mostly on the reefs of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, there are approximately 120 species in 10 genera...
-like bodies), Coccodus species had a comparatively long body, giving the living animals a superficial resemblance to a chimaera
Chimaera
Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes, known informally as ghost sharks, ratfish , spookfish , or rabbitfishes...
.
Coccodus is closely related to the similarly-spined genera Trewavasia
Trewavasia
Trewavasia carinata is an extinct pycnodontid that lived during the lower Cenomanian of what is now Lebanon. It had a large, forward-pointing horn-like spine between its eyes, and a massive stump-like spine emanating from the . T...
, Ichthyoceros, and Hensodon, which also lived during the Cenomanian of Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
See also
- Prehistoric fishPrehistoric fishPrehistoric fish refers to early fish that are known only from fossil records. They are the earliest known vertebrates, and include the first and extinct fish that lived through the Cambrian to the Tertiary. The study of prehistoric fish is called paleoichthyology...
- List of prehistoric bony fish