Lampris zatima
Encyclopedia
Lampris zatima is the oldest known opah
of the genus Lampris, from the Late Miocene
of Southern California
(the giant opah of the genus Megalampris
, of Late Oligocene
New Zealand
, is older). Its fossil record is rather poor, known primarily from isolated vertebral columns, and a few headless specimens. Alive, it is estimated to have been around 20 to 30 centimeters long.
Mistakenly, it was later re-described as a surfperch
, Dascles dassurus.
Opah
Opah are large, colorful, deep-bodied pelagic Lampriform fish comprising the small family Lampridae . There are only two living species in a single genus: Lampris...
of the genus Lampris, from the Late Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
(the giant opah of the genus Megalampris
Megalampris
Megalampris keyesi is an extinct Opah from the late Oligocene of New Zealand about 26 million years ago. It was recovered from the Otekaike Limestone in North Otago, by a team from the University of Otago. Its spectacular remains, mostly caudal skeleton, are on display in the Otago Museum,...
, of Late Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, is older). Its fossil record is rather poor, known primarily from isolated vertebral columns, and a few headless specimens. Alive, it is estimated to have been around 20 to 30 centimeters long.
Mistakenly, it was later re-described as a surfperch
Embiotocidae
The surfperches are a family, Embiotocidae, of perciform fishes. They are found in coastal waters of the northern Pacific and grow up to 45 cm long....
, Dascles dassurus.