''Apsopelix'' is an extinct genus of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

that existed about 95-80 million years ago in the shallow waters of the

Western Interior Seaway The Western Interior Seaway (also called the Cretaceous Seaway, the Niobraran Sea, the North American Inland Sea, or the Western Interior Sea) was a large inland sea (geology), inland sea that existed roughly over the present-day Great Plains of ...

, Hudson Seaway,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Description

''Apsopelix'' was a small teleost, reaching lengths of 23-27 centimeters (9-10 inches). Fossils possess long gill rakers, which are indicative of a microphagous lifestyle, and evidence of a long gut alongside a robust body show that ''Apsopelix'' likely fed on

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

Classification

The genus ''Apsopelix'' has a confusing taxonomic history, with several genera being lumped into it over time. Fossils of the genus found in new locations or preserved unusually would be given distinct genus names, and the holotype specimen was misattributed as a species of ''

Calamopleurus ''Calamopleurus'' is a prehistoric genus of marine halecomorph ray-finned fish from the Early Cretaceous of South America and northern Africa. It was a relative of the modern bowfin, with both belonging to the family Amiidae. ''C. cylindricus'' ...

''. The genus has also been assigned to a plethora of different teleost groups, such as

Mugilidae The mullets or grey mullets are a family (Mugilidae) of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since R ...

Clupeidae Clupeidae is a family of clupeiform ray-finned fishes, comprising, for instance, the herrings and sprats. Many members of the family have a body protected with shiny cycloid (very smooth and uniform) scales, a single dorsal fin, and a fusiform ...

, Elopoidei,

Clupeomorpha Clupeomorpha is a superorder of ray-finned fish which belongs to the clade Otocephala. Represented today only by the diverse, economically-important order Clupeiformes (containing herrings, anchovies and allies), it was formerly even more diverse ...

Osteoglossomorpha Osteoglossomorpha is a group of bony fish in the Teleostei. Notable members A notable member is the arapaima (''Arapaima gigas''), the largest freshwater fish in South America and one of the largest bony fishes alive. Other notable members inclu ...

, Percesoces, Crossognathidae, Syllaemidae, Pelycorapidae, Apsopelicidae. Today, ''Apsopelix'' is considered to be in the order Crossognathiformes and in the family Crossognathidae, alongside ''

Crossognathus ''Crossognathus'' is an extinct genus of marine ray-finned fish from the Early Cretaceous of Europe. It is the type genus of the order Crossognathiformes and the family Crossognathidae. The following species are known: * †''C. danubiensis'' ...

.''

References

External links

Fish1FossilsFossils2
Crossognathiformes Prehistoric ray-finned fish genera Late Cretaceous bony fish Cretaceous fish of North America Cretaceous fish of Asia Cretaceous fish of Europe Albian genus first appearances Campanian genus extinctions Fossils of the United States Fossils of Japan Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope Fossil taxa described in 1871 {{Cretaceous-fish-stub