Fish Fossils from Class Actinopterygii |
The
oldest fossils of class Actinopterygii,
or ray-finned fishes, date to the Devonian period. By the
late Paleozoic Era they had become the dominant vertebrates
living in marine environments. The group to which nearly
all extant Actinopterygians belong, the Teleosts (Subclass
Neopterygii, Infraclass Teleostei), appeared in the late
Triassic period. By the start of the Cenozoic Era, following
the great extinction event concluding the Cretaceous, the
teleosts dominated marine and aquatic environments worldwide. |
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Aeduella
blainvillei
Order Paleonisciformes
Family Amblyppteridae
Lower Permian
Jeckenbach Formation, Germany |
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Saurichthys
Order Saurichthyformes
Triassic
Guizhou Province of China |
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Clupea
sp.
Order Clupeiformes
Family Clupeidae
Oligocene
Carpathian
Mountains, Poland
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Rhynchodercetis
Order Alepisauriformes Family Dercetidae
Cretaceous
Ramlia Taouz, Morocco |
Sparnodus
sp.
Order Perciformes
Family Sparidae
Eocene
Monte Bolca Quarry, Italy |
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