Deltoptychius (from Greek: δέλτα délta, 'triangle' and Greek: πτυχή ptyche 'fold') is an extinct species of cartilaginous fish related to the modern chimaeras. It lived in the Carboniferous period of present-day United Kingdom. Fossils of the genus have been found in the Glencartholm Volcanic Beds Formation of the Upper Border Group in Scotland.
| Deltoptychius Temporal range:
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| Restorations of Menaspis and Deltoptychius | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Holocephali |
| Order: | Chimaeriformes |
| Family: | †Deltoptychiidae |
| Genus: | †Deltoptychius Morris & Roberts, 1862[1] |
Although it emerged over 300 million years ago, Deltoptychius was similar in appearance to modern-day chimaeras, possessing a long, whip-like tail and large, wing-like pectoral fins that it probably used to glide through the water. Deltoptychius`s large eyes allowed it to hunt in deep waters, crushing shellfish between solid tooth plates in its mouth.[2]
References
edit- ^ Patterson, C. (10 June 1965). "The phylogeny of the chimaeroids". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 249 (757): 149. doi:10.1098/rstb.1965.0010.
- ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 29. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
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