''Antiquaobatis'' is an extinct
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomencla ...
of
ray
Ray may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin
Science and mathematics
* Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point
* Ray (gr ...
from the Early
Jurassic (Late Pliensbachian) of Europe, containing the single
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
''A. grimmenensis''. It is the oldest known described member of the
Rajiformes
Rajiformes is one of the four orders in the superorder Batoidea, flattened cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. Rajiforms are distinguished by the presence of greatly enlarged pectoral fins, which reach as far forward as the sides of the he ...
, and is based on a single tooth from
Pliensbachian
The Pliensbachian is an age of the geologic timescale and stage in the stratigraphic column. It is part of the Early or Lower Jurassic Epoch or Series and spans the time between 190.8 ± 1.5 Ma and 182.7 ± 1.5 Ma (million years ago). The Pl ...
of Northern
Germany.
It was recovered from the
Grimmen
Grimmen (; csb, Grzëmié) is a town in Vorpommern-Rügen, a district in the Bundesland Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Prior to 2011, when district reforms were made in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, it was the capital of the now bygone Nordvorpomme ...
Clay Pit, on Spinatum strata that belongs in the region to the
Komorowo Formation.
The holotype is a single antero-lateral tooth, very small and slightly asymmetrical, measuring 0.25 mm in maximum height and 0.26 mm in maximum width, that has an overall morphology, that suggests a consistent referral to
Batomorphii, encompassing all skates and rays.
[ The tooth has an overall rather gracile crown morphology, different from any other know jurassic batomorphs, indicating closest affinities to the monotypic genus '' Engaibatis schultzei'' from the ]Kimmeridgian
In the geologic timescale, the Kimmeridgian is an age in the Late Jurassic Epoch and a stage in the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 157.3 ± 1.0 Ma and 152.1 ± 0.9 Ma (million years ago). The Kimmeridgian follows the Oxfordia ...
-Tithonian
In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 152.1 ± 4 Ma and 145.0 ± 4 Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Ki ...
of Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
.[
]
Paleoenvironment
The Late Pliensbachian level of the Grimmen clay pit was trougth to be part of the Allenstein ( Komorowo Formation), but due to be composed by sandstones there was a strong disagreement linking the fluvial Olsztyn with Germany, as comes from the Mazury
Masuria (, german: Masuren, Masurian: ''Mazurÿ'') is a ethnographic and geographic region in northern and northeastern Poland, known for its 2,000 lakes. Masuria occupies much of the Masurian Lake District. Administratively, it is part of the ...
area -easternmost part of the Polish basin and there is no link with the local Amaltheenton Beds, unlike the Komorowo Formation.[ The described tooth of ''Antiquaobatis'' is considered to come from allochthonous origin, as it has suffered massively from post-mortem breakage in many cases, most probably due to extensive reworking and redistribution generated by current activities.][ This taxon probably lived on the marine areas that were located in closer proximity to the ]Fennoscandia
__NOTOC__
Fennoscandia ( Finnish, Swedish and no, Fennoskandia, nocat=1; russian: Фенноскандия, Fennoskandiya) or the Fennoscandian Peninsula is the geographical peninsula in Europe, which includes the Scandinavian and Kola penin ...
n mainland, such as the paralic depositional environments of the Sorthat Formation of Bornholm
Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled b ...
, Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, established ...
. But also can have been moved from the Polish Basin, as on the deposition of this Tooth it was flooded by the sea, as proven by the find on ammonites on central Poland.
A Nectobenthic lifestyle has been suggested for Jurassic batomorphs, specially complete taxa such as Belemnobatis
''Belemnobatis'' is an extinct genus of ray from the Mesozoic era. As with most basal batoids, its exact placement within its order and the relationships between species are poorly understood. In addition, the line between this genus and '' Spath ...
and Spathobatis
''Spathobatis'' (from el, σπᾰ́θη , 'blade' and el, βατίς 'ray') is an extinct genus of ray from the Jurassic period of Europe.
''Spathobatis'' had a body similar to that of a modern guitarfish, being highly flattened and widened, ...
, that are superficially similar to extant members of which are generally characterized by sharing a bauplan similar to extant Rhinobatidae, adapted to eat hard-shelled prey.[
]
References
Prehistoric cartilaginous fish genera
Jurassic cartilaginous fish
Early Jurassic fish
Jurassic fish of Europe
Rajiformes
Monotypic fish genera
{{Chondrichthyes-stub