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''Strongylosteus'' is an extinct 
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of prehistoric ray-finned fish
Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species.
The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...
that lived during the early Toarcian
The Toarcian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, an age and stage in the Early or Lower Jurassic. It spans the time between 182.7 Ma (million years ago) and 174.1 Ma. It follows the Pliensbachian and is followed by the Aalenian.
The Toarc ...
age of the Early Jurassic
The Early Jurassic Epoch (in chronostratigraphy corresponding to the Lower Jurassic Series) is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic Period. The Early Jurassic starts immediately after the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event, 201.3 Ma ...
epoch.Hennig, E. (1925). ''Chondrosteus Hindenburgi'' Pomp.---Ein «Stör» des württembergischen Ölschiefers (Lias\epsilon). Palaeontographica (1846-1933), 115-134. Its type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...
is ''Strongylosteus hindenburgi'' (monotypy
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
). It is related to modern sturgeon and paddlefish
Paddlefish (family Polyodontidae) are a family of ray-finned fish belonging to order Acipenseriformes, and one of two living groups of the order alongside sturgeons (Acipenseridae). They are distinguished from other fish by their titular elongl ...
(Acipenseroidei
Acipenseriformes is an order of basal ray-finned fishes that includes living and fossil sturgeons and paddlefishes (Acipenseroidei), as well as the extinct families Chondrosteidae and Peipiaosteidae. They are the second earliest divergi ...
), but with a different kind of mouth than common species, made for hunting prey in open waters, with a strong lower jaw, similar to modern beluga.
''Strongylosteus'' is a large member of the family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Chondrosteidae
Chondrosteidae is a family of extinct marine actinopterygian fishes in the order Acipenseriformes. Three genera are known from the Early Jurassic of Europe, '' Chondrosteus'', ''Gyrosteus'', and ''Strongylosteus''. Included species were of la ...
, and the largest non-reptilian marine vertebrate
Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxon, taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with vertebral column, backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the ...
in the Posidonia Shale
The Posidonia Shale (german: Posidonienschiefer, also called Schistes Bitumineux in Luxembourg) geologically known as the Sachrang Formation, is an Early Jurassic (Toarcian) geological formation of southwestern and northeast Germany, northern Swi ...
, with a size between and , and an estimated weight over 800 kg to 1 tonne.
''Strongylosteus'' has been suggested as a junior synonym of ''Chondrosteus
''Chondrosteus'' is a genus of extinct actinopterygian (ray-finned fish) belonging to the family Chondrosteidae. It lived during the Sinemurian (early Early Jurassic) in what is now England. ''Chondrosteus'' is remotely related to sturgeons an ...
'', although there haven't been any new revisions about the status of the genus.
See also
*Prehistoric fish
The evolution of fish began about 530 million years ago during the Cambrian explosion. It was during this time that the early chordates developed the skull and the vertebral column, leading to the first craniates and vertebrates. The first fi ...
* List of prehistoric bony fish
References
External links
* Early Jurassic fish Acipenseriformes {{Jurassic-fish-stub