Belantsea
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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
[change | change source]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.
Species
[change | change source]The species in this genus are:
- Belantsea montana (type species) Lund, 1989
- Belantsea occidentalis St. John and Worthen, 1875
Synonyms
[change | change source]- Ctenopetalus occidentalis St. John and Worthen, 1875
Classification
[change | change source]- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Chondrichthyes
- Order: Petalodontiformes
- Family: Belantseidae
- Genus: Belantsea
Diet and size
[change | change source]Diet
[change | change source]Belantsea is a carnivore.
Size
[change | change source]It's up to 70 centimeters long.
Locations
[change | change source]You can find Belantsea fossils in the USA, including Kansas - Zeandale Limestone Formation, Montana - Heath Formation, and Nebraska.
Temporal range
[change | change source]Baskirian to Gzhelian of the Carboniferous.
Speed
[change | change source]Because of its rather ungraceful body and veil-like fins, experts believe that Belantsea was probably a slow swimmer.
Related pages
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- 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.