Psilichthys is an extinct genus of prehistoric bony fish from Eumeralla Formation, the Lower Cretaceous epoch of what is now Victoria, Australia, known from single species P. selwyni. This is the first Mesozoic fossil vertebrate named from Victoria.[1]
| Psilichthys Temporal range: Lower Cretaceous
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Family: | †Coccolepidae |
| Genus: | †Psilichthys Hall, 1900 |
| Type species | |
| †Psilichthys selwyni Hall, 1900
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Classification
editDue to the only known fossil of Psilichthys is incomplete holotype specimen, its classification is discussed for years. It was originally described as a possibly palaeoniscid or chondrosteid.[2] It has also previously been referred to the family Birgeriidae. Waldman (1971) denied interpretation as chondrosteid, considering the character that lacked scales which used to classify it as acipenseriform, is misidentification and it preserved some of scales. Waldman suggested that is likely to be a palaeoniscid that belongs to Coccolepidae, although due to preservation it is tentative.[3] It is not belong to birgeriid considering differences from Birgeria.[3][4] However, if identification as acipenseriform is true, it would be the only member of that group known from the southern hemisphere.[5][6]
See also
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References
edit- ^ Poropat, Stephen F.; Martin, Sarah K.; Tosolini, Anne-Marie P.; Wagstaff, Barbara E.; Bean, Lynne B.; Kear, Benjamin P.; Vickers-Rich, Patricia; Rich, Thomas H. (2018-04-03). "Early Cretaceous polar biotas of Victoria, southeastern Australia—an overview of research to date". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 42 (2): 157–229. Bibcode:2018Alch...42..157P. doi:10.1080/03115518.2018.1453085. ISSN 0311-5518. S2CID 133845914.
- ^ Hall, T. S. (1899). "A new genus and new species of fish from the Mesozoic rocks of Victoria". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 12 (2): 147–151.
- ^ a b Waldman, M., 1971, A re-examination of Psilichthys selwyni Hall, from the Lower Cretaceous of Victoria: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 84:263–265
- ^ Romano, C. & Brinkmann, W. (2009). "Reappraisal of the lower actinopterygian Birgeria stensioei ALDINGER, 1931 (Osteichthyes; Birgeriidae) from the Middle Triassic of Monte San Giorgio (Switzerland) and Besano (Italy)". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 252: 17–31. doi:10.1127/0077-7749/2009/0252-0017.
- ^ Hilton, Eric J.; Forey, Peter L. (2009). "Redescription of †Chondrosteus acipenseroidesEgerton, 1858 (Acipenseriformes, †Chondrosteidae) from the lower Lias of Lyme Regis (Dorset, England), with comments on the early evolution of sturgeons and paddlefishes". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 7 (4): 427–453. Bibcode:2009JSPal...7..427H. doi:10.1017/s1477201909002740. ISSN 1477-2019. S2CID 86821521.
- ^ Berrell, Rodney W.; Boisvert, Catherine; Trinajstic, Kate; Siversson, Mikael; Alvarado-Ortega, Jesús; Cavin, Lionel; Salisbury, Steven W.; Kemp, Anne (2020-03-03). "A review of Australia's Mesozoic fishes". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 44 (2): 286–311. Bibcode:2020Alch...44..286B. doi:10.1080/03115518.2019.1701078. ISSN 0311-5518. S2CID 216172108.
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