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Belantsea

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Artist's reconstruction

Belantsea is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish that lived during the Lower Carboniferous, about 350 million years ago. It belongs to the order Petalodontiformes, which are called petalodonts, in the family Belantseidae. Its fossils are almost complete individuals.

Belantsea is the best known member of the order Petalodontiformes.

Description

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Belantsea would essentially have been the Carboniferous equivalent of a parrotfish. Its body was leaf-shaped, with muscular fins and a small tail. Its few, large, triangular teeth formed a beak-like arrangement that allowed it to graze bryozoans, sponges, crinoids, and other encrusting animals.

The species in this genus are:

Synonyms

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Classification

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Diet and size

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Belantsea is a carnivore.

It's up to 70 centimeters long.

Locations

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You can find Belantsea fossils in the USA, including Kansas - Zeandale Limestone Formation, Montana - Heath Formation, and Nebraska.

Temporal range

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Baskirian to Gzhelian of the Carboniferous.

Because of its rather ungraceful body and veil-like fins, experts believe that Belantsea was probably a slow swimmer.

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References

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  1. Lund, Richard (1989). "New petalodonts (Chondrichthyes) from the Upper Mississippian Bear Gulch Limestone (Namurian E2b) of Montana". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 9 (3): 350–368.

Other websites

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