Cylindracanthus

Cylindracanthus
Temporal range: Possible Oligocene and Miocene occurrence
C. rectus spines from Belgium
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Genus: Cylindracanthus
Leidy, 1856
Type species
Coelorhynchus rectus
Agassiz, 1843
Species

See text

Synonyms
  • Coelorhynchus Agassiz, 1843

Cylindracanthus is an extinct, enigmatic genus of marine ray-finned fish with fossils known throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Africa from the Late Cretaceous to the late Eocene, with potential Oligocene records and a possible Miocene record also known. It is exclusively known from its distinctive partial remains, which are long cylindrical bony spines that are usually considered rostrum fragments, as well as some associated teeth. These spines are abundant & widespread throughout this timespan, and are useful indicators of a nearshore marine environment, but the taxonomic identity of the fish is still highly uncertain and debated.