''Hypsocormus'' (from , 'height' and 'timber log') is an extinct genus of

pachycormid Pachycormiformes is an extinct order of marine Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish known from the Early Jurassic to the end of the Cretaceous. It only includes a single family, Pachycormidae. They were characterized by having serrated pectoral fins ( ...

fish from the

Middle Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...

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 ...

of Europe. Fossils have been found in Germany, France and the UK.

Taxonomy

The type species, ''H. insignis'', was originally described by

Johann Andreas Wagner Johann Andreas Wagner (21 March 1797 – 17 December 1861) was a German palaeontologist, zoologist and archaeologist who wrote several important works on palaeontology. He was also a pioneer of biogeographical theory. Career Wagner was born ...

in 1860 from the Upper Jurassic plattenkalk limestones of Bavaria, Germany, and placed into the new genus ''Hypsocormus'' by Wagner in a posthumous publication in 1863. A second valid species, ''Hypsocormus posterodorsalis'' was named by Maxwell and colleagues in 2020 from the same deposits. The species "''Hypsocormus macrodon''" Wagner 1863 from the Upper Jurassic of Germany has been moved to a separate genus and renamed '' Simocormus macrolepidotus.'' The species ''"Hypsocormus" tenuirostris'' from the Middle Jurassic of England is more similar to ''

Orthocormus ''Orthocormus'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric pachycormiform bony fish. It is known from three species found in Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) aged plattenkalk deposits in Bavaria, Germany. The species "'' Hypsocormus" tenuirostris'' Woodwar ...

'', and thus has often been referred to as ''Orthocormus? tenuirostris.''

Description

''Hypsocormus'' was a fast-swimming predatory fish about long, with a half moon-shaped

caudal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported only ...

similar to that of a modern

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

. It had a single

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

, elongated

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 ...

s and tiny

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral (belly) surface of fish, and are the lower of the only two sets of paired fins (the other being the laterally positioned pectoral fins). The pelvic fins are homologous to the hi ...

s about halfway down the body. An early teleost, ''Hypsocormus'' was still primitive, possessing primitive traits such as armored

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 ...

. These were, however, small compared with those of earlier fish, allowing greater flexibility. Its jaws were muscular and highly developed, giving it a powerful bite.

References

External links

* Pachycormiformes Prehistoric ray-finned fish genera Jurassic bony fish Jurassic fish of Europe Middle Jurassic genus first appearances Late Jurassic extinctions {{Jurassic-fish-stub