Luvarus necopinatus
Encyclopedia
Luvarus necopinatus is a species
of extinct louvar
that lived in the Tethys Ocean
during the early Paleogene
. It differs from the modern species, L. imperialis, in that L. necopinatus has an oval body shape, and is around one foot in length when fully grown.
The first specimens were found from the Danata Formation Lagerstätten, of the Thanetian
to Ypresian
epochs of Turkmenistan
. L. necopinatus was originally described as "Proluvarus necopinatus," citing several anatomical differences between Proluvarus and Luvarus. A later reexamination of the fossil specimens lead researchers to reappraise Proluvarus as a junior synonym, as well as determine that specimens of what were originally thought to be juveniles were actually two different species of a different genus of louvar, Avitoluvarus
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of extinct louvar
Louvar
The louvar or luvar, Luvarus imperialis, is a species of perciform fish, the only extant species in the genus Luvarus and family Luvaridae. Other species and genera are only known from fossils dating back to the Paleogene. It is closely related to the surgeonfish...
that lived in the Tethys Ocean
Tethys Ocean
The Tethys Ocean was an ocean that existed between the continents of Gondwana and Laurasia during the Mesozoic era before the opening of the Indian Ocean.-Modern theory:...
during the early Paleogene
Paleogene
The Paleogene is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic Era...
. It differs from the modern species, L. imperialis, in that L. necopinatus has an oval body shape, and is around one foot in length when fully grown.
The first specimens were found from the Danata Formation Lagerstätten, of the Thanetian
Thanetian
The Thanetian is, in the ICS' Geologic timescale, the latest age or uppermost stratigraphic stage of the Paleocene Epoch or series. It spans the time between and . The Thanetian is preceded by the Selandian age and followed by the Ypresian age...
to Ypresian
Ypresian
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between and , is preceded by the Thanetian age and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian age....
epochs of Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
. L. necopinatus was originally described as "Proluvarus necopinatus," citing several anatomical differences between Proluvarus and Luvarus. A later reexamination of the fossil specimens lead researchers to reappraise Proluvarus as a junior synonym, as well as determine that specimens of what were originally thought to be juveniles were actually two different species of a different genus of louvar, Avitoluvarus
Avitoluvarus
Avitoluvarus is a genus of extinct louvar that lived in the Tethys Ocean during the early Paleogene. The first specimens were found from the Danata Formation Lagerstätten, of the Thanetian epoch of Turkmenistan, where they were originally thought to be smaller or juvenile individuals of the true...
.