Spathobatis
| Spathobatis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Spathobatis bugesiacus in the Paläontologische Museum München | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | †Apolithabatiformes |
| Family: | †Asterodermidae |
| Genus: | †Spathobatis Thiollière 1848[1] |
Spathobatis (from Greek: σπᾰ́θη spáthē, 'blade' and Greek: βατίς batis 'ray')[2] is an extinct genus of rays in the family Asterodermidae from the Jurassic period of Europe.
Spathobatis had a body similar to that of a modern guitarfish, being highly flattened and widened, adapting the creature for a life on the ocean floor. Although it is one of the earliest known fossil rays, it already resembled modern forms in a number of ways. Like them, its eyes and spiracles were located atop the head, its mouth and gill slits were positioned on the underside of the body, and it had greatly expanded pectoral fins for swimming.[3]
Distinctive features of Spathobatis included flattened teeth, suitable for eating shellfish, and an elongated snout that was presumably used to probe for food on the muddy sea floor.[3]
References
[edit]- ↑ Greenfield, Tyler (2025-09-30). "Notes on the nomenclature of spinorays (Chondrichthyes, Batomorphii, Apolithabatiformes)". Bionomina. 43 (2): 9–13. doi:10.11646/bionomina.43.2.2. ISSN 1179-7657.
- ↑ Owen, Richard (1861). Palaeontology; or, A systematic summary of extinct animals and their geological relations. Edinburgh : A. and C. Black. p. 461.
- 1 2 Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 28. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
 | This article about a prehistoric cartilaginous fish is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |