''Zanclites'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric ray-finned

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

Classification

''Zanclites'' is a member of the Tselfatiiformes, a group of fish typical of the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

period and usually endowed with large dorsal fins. In particular, ''Zanclites'' would appear to have been a member of the Plethodidae family. ''Zanclites xenurus'' was first described by Jordan in 1924, based on a well-preserved fossil from the

Niobrara Formation The Niobrara Formation , also called the Niobrara Chalk, is a geologic formation in North America that was deposited between 87 and 82 million years ago during the Coniacian, Santonian, and Campanian stages of the Late Cretaceous. It is com ...

in Kansas (United States). Other fish belonging to the same family found in the same formation are ''Niobrara'' and ''

Pentanogmius ''Pentanogmius'' is an extinct genus of sail-finned Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish that lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now Europe and the United States. Five species are currently recognized, 2 from Cenomanian to Turonian Europe and ...

''.

References

Late Cretaceous bony fish Prehistoric ray-finned fish genera Tselfatiiformes Late Cretaceous fish of North America {{Crossognathiformes-stub Fossil taxa described in 1924