''Coupatezia'' is a prehistoric genus of
ray
Ray or RAY may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), the bony or horny spine on ray-finned fish
Science and mathematics
* Half-line (geometry) or ray, half of a line split at an ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Dasyatidae whose fossils are found in strata dating from the
Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian ( ) is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age (uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage) of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or Upper Cretaceous series (s ...
stage until the last species' extinction during the Middle
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...
. These rays were found shallow seas in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
,
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
and the eastern
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
Classification
Species
*''Coupatezia fallax''
*''Coupatezia trempina'' (Maastrichtian "Kemp Clay" stratum of Texas)
*''Coupatezia turneri''
*''Coupatezia woutersi'' (Lutetian
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
)
See also
*
Flora and fauna of the Maastrichtian stage
This is an incomplete list that briefly describes vertebrates that were Extant taxon, extant during the Maastrichtian, a stage of the Late Cretaceous Period which extended from 72.1 to 66 million years before present. This was the last time p ...
*
List of prehistoric cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes)
This list of prehistoric cartilaginous fish genera is an attempt to create a comprehensive listing of all Genus, genera that have ever been included in the class chondrichthyes ''and'' are known from the fossil record. This list excludes purely v ...
References
External links
*Elasmo.com "The Life and Times of Long Dead Sharks
Myliobatiformes
Cretaceous cartilaginous fish
Paleocene fish
Eocene fish
Lutetian genus extinctions
Maastrichtian genus first appearances
Prehistoric fish of North America
Prehistoric fish of Africa
Prehistoric cartilaginous fish genera
{{Cretaceous-fish-stub