Serenoichthys

Fossil specimen (scale bar 1 cm)

Serenoichthys is an extinct, prehistoric bichir from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of southeastern Morocco. The type species is Serenoichthys kemkemensis. Only known at first from postcranial skeletons, complete specimens were later discovered.

Serenoichthys is named after the leader of the team responsible for the fish's discovery, Paul C. Sereno. The species name, kemkemensis, refers to the Kem Kem Group in Morocco where the fossils were discovered.

Description

Serenoichthys was a small fish. In comparison, the big polypterid Bawitius could reach up to 300 cm (9.8 ft), whereas S. kemkemensis could only reach up to 5 cm (2.0 in) in length.

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References

1. Dutheil, Didier (1999). "The first articulated fossil cladistian: Serenoichthys kemkemensis, gen. et sp. nov., from the Cretaceous of Morocco". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 19 (2): 243–246.
2. "Fossilworks: Serenoichthys" Archived 2021-12-12 at the Wayback Machine.