Megactenopetalus is an extinct genus of petalodont fish which lived from the late Early Permian through the Late Permian.[1] It is known from a single species: M. kaibabanus. It was one of the last and largest petalodonts; estimates place it at 1.6 meters or 5.2 feet in length with a 20 centimeter or 7 inch mouth. It is known from the southwest of the United States, the Middle East, and China. The holotype was an upper left dentary which came from the Kaibab Formation on the northern rim of the Grand Canyon.[2] It is probably closely related to Ctenoptychius.[3]
| Megactenopetalus Temporal range:
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Holocephali |
| Order: | †Petalodontiformes |
| Family: | †Pristodontidae |
| Genus: | †Megactenopetalus David, 1944 |
References
edit- ^ "Fossilworks: Megactenopetalus". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
- ^ Hunt, A. P.; LUCAS, S. (2005). "THE CHONDRICHTHYAN MEGACTENOPETALUS KAIBABANUS FROM THE EARLY-? MIDDLE PERMIAN OF SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND ADJACENT AREAS OF TEXAS". The Nonmarine Permian: Bulletin. 30: 117. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
- ^ Ossian, C. (1976). Redescription of Megactenopetalus kaibabanus David 1944 (Chondrichthyes: Petalodontidae) with Comments on Its Geographic and Stratigraphic Distribution. Journal of Paleontology, 50(3), 392-397. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from JSTOR 1303519
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