| Piranhamesodon Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 152 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | †Pycnodontiformes |
| Genus: | †Piranhamesodon Kölbl-Ebert et al., 2018 |
| Type species | |
| † P. pinnamotus Kölbl-Ebert et al., 2018 | |
Piranhamesodon pinnatomus is a pycnodontiform fish from the Late Jurassic (ca. 152 million years old). It was described from the Plattenkalk deposits of the Solnhofen Formation, in Bavaria, Germany. It is notable for having sharp, serrated teeth highly reminiscent of a piranha, a highly unusual trait as most other species in the order Pycnodontiformes were shellfish eaters with flat, crushing teeth. It is also the oldest known bony fish with this trait. This unusual combination is reflected in its genus name, which is a combination of piranha and the frequent pycnodontiform genus suffix Mesodon. Fossils of other fish found in the same area have torn fins possibly attributable to this species.
See also
References
- Kölbl-Ebert, Martina; Ebert, Martin; Bellwood, David R.; Schulbert, Christian (October 2018). "A Piranha-like Pycnodontiform Fish from the Late Jurassic". Current Biology. 28 (21): 3516–3521.e2. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.09.013. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 30344113.
- "Jurassic Flesh-Eating Fish Had Piranha-Like Teeth | Paleontology | Sci-News.com". Breaking Science News | Sci-News.com. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
- Dunham, Will. "In toothy prequel, piranha-like fish menaced Jurassic seas". U.S. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
- "Piranhalike teeth and torn fins reveal ancient fish fight". Science | AAAS. 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
| Taxon identifiers | |
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| Piranhamesodon pinnatomus | |
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