''Barameda'' (Indigenous Australian language: "fish trap") is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

rhizodont Rhizodontida is an extinct group of predatory tetrapodomorphs known from many areas of the world from the Givetian through to the Pennsylvanian - the earliest known species is about 377 million years ago (Mya), the latest around 310 Mya. Rhizod ...

lobe-finned fish Sarcopterygii (; )—sometimes considered synonymous with Crossopterygii ()—is a clade (traditionally a class or subclass) of vertebrate animals which includes a group of bony fish commonly referred to as lobe-finned fish. These vertebrates ar ...

es which lived during the

Tournaisian The Tournaisian is in the ICS geologic timescale the lowest stage or oldest age of the Mississippian, the oldest subsystem of the Carboniferous. The Tournaisian age lasted from Ma to Ma. It is preceded by the Famennian (the uppermost st ...

stage near the start of the

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a Geologic time scale, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the ...

period in Australia; fossils of the genus have been reported from the Snowy Plains Formation. The largest member of this genus, ''Barameda decipiens'', reached an estimated length of around , while the smallest species, ''B. mitchelli'' is estimated to have had a length of about .

Description

Species of the genus ''Barameda'' had an extremely elongated and thick body typical of

rhizodonts Rhizodontida is an extinct group of predatory tetrapodomorphs known from many areas of the world from the Givetian through to the Pennsylvanian (geology), Pennsylvanian - the earliest known species is about 377 million years ago (Mya), the latest ...

. It was covered with moderately thin, cycloidal

scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number ...

, with thick bony plates covering its head and operculum (gill flaps), a tightly fused

Skull roof The skull roof or the roofing bones of the skull are a set of bones covering the brain, eyes and nostrils in bony fishes, including land-living vertebrates. The bones are derived from dermal bone and are part of the dermatocranium. In com ...

, and extremely prominent, sharp fangs, devoid of serrations or cutting edges. Its scales preserved a

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelia ...

. Originally it was estimated to have a typical narrow

pectoral fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish aquatic locomotion, swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the vertebral column ...

, however a later study shows that it had a wider pectoral fin like other Carboniferous rhizodonts.

Paleoecology

Along with other rhizodonts, ''Barameda'' seems likely to have been a benthic

ambush predator Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture their prey via stealth, luring or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an element of surprise. Unlike pursuit predators, who chase to capture prey u ...

, and its pectoral fins support that interpretation.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4858312 Rhizodontida Prehistoric lobe-finned fish genera Mississippian sarcopterygians Carboniferous sarcopterygians of Australia Tournaisian life Fossil taxa described in 1989