''Callipurbeckia ''is an extinct genus of marine
semionotiform 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 ...
from the
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time scale, geologic time from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic stratum, strata.Owen ...
and
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...
periods. Fossils have been found in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
, and
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 ...
.
It contains three species, which were previously classified in the related
lepisosteiform genus ''
Lepidotes
''Lepidotes'' (from , 'covered with scales') (previously known as ''Lepidotus'') is an extinct genus of Mesozoic ray-finned fish. It has long been considered a wastebasket taxon, characterised by "general features, such as thick rhomboid scales ...
''.
* ''C. minor''
(Agassiz, 1833) - Earliest Cretaceous (
Berriasian
In the geological timescale, the Berriasian is an age/ stage of the Early/Lower Cretaceous. It is the oldest subdivision in the entire Cretaceous. It has been taken to span the time between 143.1 ±0.6 Ma and 137.05 ± 0.2 (million years ago) ...
) of England (
Purbeck Beds
The Purbeck Group is an Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous lithostratigraphic group (a sequence of rock strata) in south-east England. The name is derived from the district known as the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset where the strata are exposed in th ...
)
* ''C. notopterus''
(Agassiz, 1835) - Late Jurassic (
Tithonian
In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age (geology), age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 149.2 ±0.7 annum, Ma and 143.1 ±0.6 (mi ...
) of Germany (
Solnhofen Limestone
The Solnhofen Limestone or Solnhofen Plattenkalk, formally known as the Altmühltal Formation, is a Jurassic Konservat-Lagerstätte that preserves a rare assemblage of fossilized organisms, including highly detailed imprints of soft bodied organi ...
)
* ''C. tendaguruensis''
(Arratia & Schultze, 1999) - Late Jurassic (Tithonian) of Tanzania (
Tendaguru Formation
The Tendaguru Formation, or Tendaguru Beds are a highly List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Tanzania, fossiliferous Lithostratigraphy, formation and Lagerstätte located in the Lindi Region of southeastern Tanzania. The formation represe ...
)
Potential relatives of ''Callipurbeckia'' include ''
Occitanichthys'' from the Tithonian of France (formerly confused with ''C. minor'') and ''
Tlayuamichin'' from the
Albian
The Albian is both an age (geology), age of the geologic timescale and a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch/s ...
of Mexico.
Its name comes from "
calli-", from an Ancient Greek word meaning beautiful, and "
Purbeck", from the modern-day name of the area where a specimen of it was found.
References
Semionotiformes
Prehistoric ray-finned fish genera
Late Jurassic bony fish
Early Cretaceous bony fish
Jurassic fish of Africa
Late Jurassic fish of Europe
Early Cretaceous fish of Europe
Tithonian genus first appearances
Berriasian genus extinctions
Fossils of England
Fossils of Tanzania
Solnhofen fauna
Fossil taxa described in 2012
{{Cretaceous-fish-stub