Lampris zatima is the oldest known opah of the genus Lampris, from the Late Miocene of Southern California[1] (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.[2] Alive, it is estimated to have been around 20 to 30 centimeters long.
| Lampris zatima Temporal range: Late Miocene
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Lampriformes |
| Family: | Lampridae |
| Genus: | Lampris |
| Species: | L. zatima
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| Binomial name | |
| Lampris zatima (Jordan & Gilbert, 1920)
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| Synonyms | |
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Mistakenly, it was later re-described as a surfperch, Dascles dassurus.[3]
References
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