''Priscosturion'' is a genus of
sturgeon
Sturgeon (from Old English ultimately from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European *''str̥(Hx)yón''-) is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the ...
from the
Judith River Formation. It lived during the
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campa ...
stage of the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
some 77.5 million years ago. Initially called ''Psammorhynchus'', its describers
Lance Grande and Eric J. Hilton renamed the animal in 2009. The fish belongs to the subfamily Priscosturioninae within the larger family
Acipenseridae
Sturgeon (from Old English ultimately from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European *''str̥(Hx)yón''-) is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the ...
. ''Priscosturion'' is only known from one species, ''P. longipinnis''.
Description
''Priscosturion'' was around in overall length. Its type specimen is rather complete. It is notable for its rather robust vertebrae.
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q114355622, from2=Q21357703
Late Cretaceous fish of North America
Prehistoric ray-finned fish genera
Fossil taxa described in 2009