Pteronisculus

Pteronisculus Temporal range: Induan–Anisian^[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N

Pteronisculus fossil at the Geological Museum, Copenhagen
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Family:	†Turseoidae<span style="font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;"> (?)</span>
Genus:	†Pteronisculus White, 1933
Type species
†Pteronisculus cicatrosus White, 1933
Other species
†P.? laetus (Lambe, 1916) †P. gyrolepidoides (Stensiö, 1921) †P. arcticus (Stensiö, 1932) †P. macropterus White, 1933 †P. stensioi (Nielsen, 1942) †P. gunnari (Nielsen, 1942) †P. magnus (Nielsen, 1942) †P. aldingeri (Nielsen, 1942) †P. arambourgi Lehman, 1952 †P. broughi Lehman, 1952 †P. nielseni Xu et al., 2014 †P. nevadanus Romano et al., 2019 †P. changae Ren & Xu, 2021
Synonyms
†Glaucolepis Stensiö, 1921^[2] (non Glaucolepis Braun, 1917)

Pteronisculus is an extinct genus of prehistoric ray-finned fish that lived during the Early Triassic and Middle Triassic epochs of the Triassic period worldwide.^[3]

It was first described under the name "Glaucolepis" by Erik Stensiö in 1921 and was later shown to be a synonym of Pteronisculus described by Errol White in 1933. However, because the name "Glaucolepis" is preoccupied (it had already been given to the extant lepidopteran insect Glaucolepis Braun, 1917), Pteronisculus became the valid genus name for the Triassic fish.^[2]

Appearance and distribution

Like many other early ray-finned fishes, Pteronisculus had a bullet-shaped skull with large eyes near the front end, and a large gape armed with small to large, conical teeth. Its body was covered with small rhombic scales that show peg-and-socket articulation. Pteronisculus had enlarged pectoral fins and small pelvic fins. The dorsal and anal fins were virtually opposed to each other. The caudal fin was heterocercal.^[3]^[4]

Pteronisculus had a wide geographic range during the Early Triassic.^[1] Fossils were collected in Greenland, Madagascar, Spitsbergen and the United States. It is possibly also present in the Early Triassic of British Columbia, Canada; a species described as Acrolepis laetus by Lawrence Lambe has been tentatively referred to Pteronisculus. From the Middle Triassic, it is only known from South China.^[3]^[4]^[5] Its occurrence in the Permian of South Africa has been questioned.^[3] About 13 species have been described to date, ranging from 11 centimetres (0.36 ft) to 40 centimetres (1.3 ft) in length.

Classification

Pteronisculus was originally referred to the family Palaeoniscidae, but was removed due to differences to Palaeoniscum.^[4] Based on similarities with the Late Triassic Turseodus, it was provisionally included in Turseoidae.^[3] A synapomorphy of Pteronisculus and Turseodus is the tooth-bearing lachrymal. However, Turseodus is incompletely known and a close relationship with Pteronisculus has not yet been tested with a cladistic analysis. In the cladistic analysis by Ren & Xu,^[5] Pteronisculus was recovered in a sister group relationship with the Carboniferous Cyranorhis, a genus that has been referred to the probably paraphyletic family Rhadinichthyidae.

References

^ ^a ^b Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
^ ^a ^b White, Errol I.; Moy-Thomas, James A. (1940). "VII.—Notes on the nomenclature of fossil fishes. Part II. Homonyms D–L". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 11. 6 (31): 98–103. doi:10.1080/03745481.1940.9723659.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Romano, Carlo; López-Arbarello, Adriana; Ware, David; Jenks, James F.; Brinkmann, Winand (2019). "Marine Early Triassic Actinopterygii from the Candelaria Hills (Esmeralda County, Nevada, USA)". Journal of Paleontology. 93 (5): 971–1000. Bibcode:2019JPal...93..971R. doi:10.1017/jpa.2019.18. S2CID 155564297.
^ ^a ^b ^c Xu, Guang-Hui; Shen, Chen-Chen; Zhao, Li-Jun (2014). "Pteronisculus nielseni sp. nov., a new stem-actinopteran fish from the Middle Triassic of Luoping, Yunnan Province, Chin". Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 52: 364–380.
^ ^a ^b Ren, Yi; Xu, Guang-Hui (2021). "A new species of Pteronisculus from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) of Luoping, Yunnan, China, and phylogenetic relationships of early actinopterygian fishes". Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 59: 169–199. doi:10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.210518. S2CID 238786196.

Actinopterygian genera

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclass: Osteichthyes

Gnathostomata

see Gnathostomata
Actinopterygii	see below↓

Actinopterygii

†Austelliscus †Cheirolepis †Cuneognathus †Dialipina? †Kentuckia †Krasnoyarichthys †Ligulalepis? †Limnomis †Meemannia †Moythomasia †Naxilepis? †Orvikuina? †Osorioichthys †Palaeoneiros †Pickeringius †Raynerius †Stegotrachelus †Tegeolepis †Terenolepis?
†Howqualepididae	Donnrosenia Howqualepis
†Mimiidae	Gogosardina Mimipiscis
Post-Devonian taxa	see below↓

Post-Devonian taxa

†Adroichthys
†Aetheretmon
†Agecephalichthys
†Amblypterina
†Ambodipia
†Aneurolepis
†Angatubichthys
†Apateolepis
†Arratiaichthys
†Asarotus
†Australichthys
†Avonichthys
†Beagiascus
†Belichthys
†Bethesdaichthys
†Birgeria
†Bishofia
†Bluefieldius
†Blourugia
†Boreolepis
†Brachydegma
†Brachypareion
†Brazilichthys
†Burguklia
†Carbonilepis
†Caruichthys
†Centrolepis
†Charleuxia
†Chichia
†Coccocephalichthys
†Concentrilepis
†Cornuboniscus
†Cosmolepis
†Cosmoptychius
†Cretolepis
†Cylindrichthys
†Daqingshaniscus
†Disichthys
†Dmitrevichthys
†Drydenius
†Duwaichthys
†Dwykia
†Elpisopholis
†Ganolepis
†Gardinerichthys
†Gardinerpiscis
†Gondwanichthys
†Grandfieldia
†Guaymayenia
†Guntherichthys
†Gyrolepidoides
†Huanghelepis
†Hyllingea
†Illiniichthys
†Inichthys
†Irajapintoseidon
†Itararichthys
†Kalops
†Kansasiella
†Karaunguria
†Kazanichthys
†Kelliaichthys
†Kenderlichthys
†Khantausia
†Kompasia
†Kutaichthys
†Lambeia
†Lanarkichthys
†Lawrenciella
†Leptogenichthys
†Letovichthys
†Lineagruan
†Luederia
†Mansfieldiscus
†Megapteriscus
†Melanecta
†Mesembrioniscus
†Mesonichthys
†Mesopoma
†Ministrella
†Monesedeiphus
†Muensterichthys
†Myriolepis
†Nematoptychius
†Neuburgella
†Notacmon
†Novogonatodus
†Nozamichthys
†Oxypteriscus
†Pacorichthys
†Palaeobergia
†Paphosiscus
†Paradrydenius
†Paralogoniscus
†Peleichthys
†Piratata
†Phanerorhynchus
†Phanerosteon
†Praolepis
†Protamblyptera
†Pseudohaplolepis
†Psilichthys
†Pteroniscus
†Rastrolepis
†Reticulolepis
†Roslerichthys
†Rubidus
†Samarichthys
†Santosichthys
†Sceletophorus
†Schizolepis
†Senekichthys
†Sinkiangichthys
†Sinoniscus
†Sixtelia
†Sphaerolepis
†Spinofacia
†Strepheoschema
†Sundayichthys
†Tanypterichthys
†Tanyrhinichthys
†Tienshaniscus
†Trachelacanthus
†Trawdenia
†Turgoniscus
†Ufalepis
†Urosthenes
†Usclasichthys?
†Uydenia
†Uydenichthys
†Varialepis
†Wayaobulepis
†Westlepis
†Whiteichthys
†Willomorichthys
†Woodichthys
†Xingshikous
†Yogoniscus
†Yaomoshania
†Zhongweilepis

†Acrolepidae

Acrolepis
Acropholis
Challaia
Kasanilepis
Namaichthys
Plegmolepis
Progyrolepis?
Watsonichthys

†Aeduellidae

Aeduella
Bourbonnella
Decazella
Neslovicella
Platysella
Puertollanichthys
Schafeevus
Spinarichthys
Westollia

†Aesopichthyidae

Aesopichthys
Proceramala

†Amblypteridae

Amblypterus
Daphnaechelus
Korutichthys?
Lawnia
Paramblypterus
Tchekardichthys
Tholonosteon
Tholonotus

†Bobasatraniiformes

Dorypterus
Bobasatraniidae	Bobasatrania Ebenaqua Ecrinesomus?

†Canobiidae

Canobius
Schaefferius

†Discordichthyidae

Discordichthys
Geryonichthys
Mamulichthys
Mutovinia

†Eigiliidae

Eigilia
Strelnia

†Elonichthyidae

Alilepis
Elonichthys
Palaeostrugia?
Meisenheimichthys
Rhabdolepis?

†Eurynotiformes

Mesolepis Paramesolepis Proteurynotus Wardichthys
Amphicentridae	Amphicentrum Cheirodopsis Eurynotus
Styracopteridae	Benedenius Fouldenia Styracopterus