''Phareodus'' is a genus of freshwater fish from the

Paleocene The Paleocene ( ), or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 mya (unit), million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), ...

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 ...

of North America. This genus includes two species,1997 "The species of †Phareodus (Teleostei: Osteoglossidae) from the Eocene of North America and their phylogenetic relationships." ''Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology'' 17(3):487-505 ''P. testis'' ( Leidy, 1873) and ''P. encaustus'' of North America. Formerly included were ''P. muelleri'' of Europe, now accepted in the related genus ''

Brychaetus ''Brychaetus'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric marine bonytongue fish known from the Late Cretaceous to the late Eocene of Europe, North America, and northern Africa. Taxonomy ''Brychaetus'' contains a single valid species, ''B. muelleri' ...

'' as ''B. muelleri'' and ''P. queenslandicus'' of Australia which was later reassigned to '' Phareoides''. Representatives have been found in the middle

of North America's

Green River Formation The Green River Formation is an Eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in a group of intermountain lakes in three basins along the present-day Green River (Colorado River), Green River in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. The sedimen ...

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

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 ...

and a tentatively identified ''Phareodus'' fossil was reported in 2023 from the Chuckanut Formation in Washington.Mustoe, G. E. (2023). The First Discovery of a Fish Fossil (Phareodus s p.) from Paleogene Fluvial Deposits in Western Washington State, USA. Geosciences, 13(9), 255. Fossils similar to the genus have also been found in the

(

Tiupampan The Tiupampan () age is a period of geologic time (64.5–62.5 Ma) within the Paleocene epoch of the Paleogene The Paleogene Period ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from th ...

)

Santa Lucía Formation The Santa Lucía Formation is a Maastrichtian to Paleocene (Danian) geologic Formation (geology), formation in Bolivia. Fossil ornithopod tracks have been reported from the Cretaceous lower part of the formation.Weishampel, et al., 2004, pp.517-607 ...

of Bolivia. ''P. testis'' was a freshwater fish with an oval outline, a small head, and a slightly pointed snout. Its

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

and

anal Anal may refer to: Related to the anus *Related to the anus of animals: ** Anal fin, in fish anatomy ** Anal vein, in insect anatomy ** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy *Related to the human anus: ** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involving ...

fins were situated posteriorly, with the anal fin being larger. Its

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 ...

was slightly forked. It had small

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 but long, 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 ...

References

Prehistoric ray-finned fish genera Osteoglossidae Eocene fish Paleocene fish Freshwater fish Prehistoric fish of Australia Prehistoric fish of North America Prehistoric fish of South America Paleocene animals of South America Tiupampan Paleogene Bolivia Fossils of Bolivia Fossil taxa described in 1873 {{osteoglossiformes-stub

See also

References