''Aipichthys'' is an extinct genus of
bony fish
Osteichthyes ( ; ), also known as osteichthyans or commonly referred to as the bony fish, is a Biodiversity, diverse clade of vertebrate animals that have endoskeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. They can be contrasted with the Chondricht ...
that is possibly polyphyletic.
Formerly classified in the Polymixiiformes, it is now thought to be a distant relative of
oarfish
Oarfish are large and extremely long pelagic lampriform fish belonging to the small family (biology), family Regalecidae. Found in areas spanning from Temperate climate, temperate ocean zones to tropical ones, yet rarely seen by humans, the oa ...
and
opahs.
Species
Five species have traditionally placed within ''Aipichthys'', but a redescription of the type species in 2016 suggested the genus to be polyphyletic, with only the type species as a member of the genus. The other four species were not moved out of the genus by the authors and were referred as ''`Aipichthys`''.
*''Aipichthys pretiosus''
Steindachner, 1860 (
Komen Limestone, Volčji Grad, Komen, Slovenia) (type species)
*''Aipichthys minor''
(Pictet, 1850) (Hakel and
Hjoula
Hjoula () is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is north of Beirut. Hjoula has an elevation of between above sea level. Hjoula has a total land area of . The village of Hjoula is known for its fertil ...
, Lebanon)
*''Aipichthys nuchalis''
(Dixon, 1850) (Upper Cenomanian
English Chalk, Washington, Sussex, UK)
*''Aipichthys oblongus''
Gayet, 1980 (Hakel and Hjoula, Lebanon)
*''Aipichthys velifer''
Woodward, 1901 (Hakel and Hjoula, Lebanon)
References
Prehistoric ray-finned fish genera
Lampriformes
Fossils of Slovenia
Fossils of Croatia
Fossils of Lebanon
Fossils of England
Late Cretaceous bony fish
Cretaceous fish of Europe
Late Cretaceous fish of Asia
Cenomanian genera
Fossil taxa described in 1860
Taxa named by Franz Steindachner
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