''Moenkopia'' (meaning "for
Moenkopi") is an extinct genus of prehistoric
sarcopterygians
Sarcopterygii (; ) — sometimes considered synonymous with Crossopterygii () — is a taxon (traditionally a class or subclass) of the bony fishes known as the lobe-finned fishes. The group Tetrapoda, a mostly terrestrial superclass includin ...
from the
Coelacanthidae
Coelacanthidae is an extinct family of coelacanths found in freshwater and marine strata throughout the world, originating during the Permian, and finally dying out during the Jurassic.
The modern-day genus ''Latimeria'' is often erroneously tho ...
found in the
Middle Triassic
In the geologic timescale, the Middle Triassic is the second of three epochs of the Triassic period or the middle of three series in which the Triassic system is divided in chronostratigraphy. The Middle Triassic spans the time between Ma and ...
Moenkopi Formation
The Moenkopi Formation is a geological formation that is spread across the U.S. states of New Mexico, northern Arizona, Nevada, southeastern California, eastern Utah and western Colorado. This unit is considered to be a group in Arizona. Part ...
of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. The type, and only species, ''M. wellesi'', was named in 1961 in honour of
Samuel Paul Welles
Samuel Paul Welles (November 9, 1907 – August 6, 1997) was an American palaeontologist. Welles was a research associate at the Museum of Palaeontology, University of California, Berkeley. He took part in excavations at the Placerias Quarry in ...
.
[B. Schaeffer and J. T. Gregory. 1961. Coelacanth fishes from the continental Triassic of the western United States. ''American Museum Novitates'' 2036:1-18] It is only known from the holotype, UMCP 36193, a partial skull consisting only of the
basisphenoid that was collected in 1939 or 1940 by Samuel Welles and briefly noted on by him in 1947, and other assorted specimens found before 2005 in the
Radar Mesa by
S. J. Nesbitt, W. G. Parker and R. B. Irmis.
[S. J. Nesbitt. 2005. The Moenkopi Formation along the Little Colorado River in eastern Arizona. In S. J. Nesbitt, W. G. Parker, R. B. Irmis (eds.), ''Guidebook to the Triassic Formations of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona, Mesa Southwest Museum Bulletin'' 9:13-23]
See also
*
Sarcopterygii
Sarcopterygii (; ) — sometimes considered synonymous with Crossopterygii () — is a taxon (traditionally a class or subclass) of the bony fishes known as the lobe-finned fishes. The group Tetrapoda, a mostly terrestrial superclass includi ...
*
List of sarcopterygians
This list of lobe-finned fish is a comprehensive listing of all genera that have ever been included in the class Sarcopterygii, excluding purely vernacular terms and Tetrapods. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but also genera that a ...
*
List of prehistoric bony fish
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College
Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies, known simply as List College, is the undergraduate school of the J ...
References
Prehistoric lobe-finned fish genera
Middle Triassic fish
Fossil taxa described in 1961
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