Palaeoniscum

Name: Palaeoniscum.
Phonetic: Pay-lay-o-niss-cum.
Named By: Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville‭ ‬-‭ ‬Blainville - 1818.
Synonyms: Palaeoniscus.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Osteichthyes,‭ ‬Actinopterygii,‭ ‬Palaeonisciformes.
Species: P.freieslebeni‭ (‬type‭)‬,‭ ‬P. capensis, P. catopterus, P. comtus, P. elegans, P. latus, P. longissimus, P. macropthalmus
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: About‭ ‬30‭ ‬centimetres long.
Known locations: England‭ ‬-‭ ‬Raisby Formation,‭ ‬and Germany‭ ‬-‭ ‬Kupferschiefer Formation.
Time period: Wuchiapingian of the Permian.
Fossil representation: Many individuals.

       Palaeoniscum was a predatory fish from the late Permian.‭ ‬The genus displays the continuing trend towards faster swimming for a more active predatory lifestyle.‭ ‬Palaeoniscum still had however air sacs on the underside of its jaw which could be inflated at will.‭ ‬These would have acted like rudimentary‭ ‬swim bladders for controlling buoyancy and depth.

Further reading
- On the remains of fish and plants from the upper limestone of the Permian series of Durham. - The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Third Series 9:267-269. - J. W. Kirby - 1862.



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