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Heterostrophus latus
Taxonomy
Heterostrophus latus was named by Wagner (1863). It is a compression fossil. Its type locality is Solnhofen, which is in a Tithonian terrestrial horizon in Germany.
Entered
by J. Flannery-Sutherland on 2025-04-11; modified by D. Sinopoli on 2026-06-18
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1863 | Heterostrophus latus Wagner |
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If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.
†Heterostrophus latus Wagner 1863
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Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| J. Wagner 1863 | The fact that the entire front part of the skull of this specimen is torn apart has at least yielded the great advantage of providing sufficient information about the nature of the teeth in the oral cavity, even though they are also widely scattered. This allows us to confirm that they are entirely of the Aechmodus type, meaning that they are all exceptionally small, and that they are found not only in the jaws but also in the plowshare and palatine bones, and indeed in multiple rows. Two types of teeth can be distinguished: firstly, fine, single-pointed teeth, the longest of which are attached to a still-existing jawbone; and secondly, teeth with somewhat thicker, bulbous, pointed heads, from whose tips deep furrows radiate downwards, thus giving the outer surface a ribbed appearance. This latter type of tooth corresponds entirely to the illustration that Quwenstedter (Petrefaktenk. tab. 17 fig. 2 b) provided of a vomer tooth of his Dapedius punctatus (incidentally, not a Dapedius, but a true Aechmodus). The largest of these teeth do not even reach a line in diameter; most remain far smaller. The minuscule size of the teeth is strikingly disproportionate to the size of the fish.
The scales, arranged in numerous rows, do not exhibit the glossy appearance of Dapedius, which is probably due to the fact that they are mostly visible only from the inner side and already appear somewhat sclerated. Along the entire back, they are small and longer than they are high; In the last third of the body, they become larger and taller, but their height does not exceed their length, and towards the belly they become considerably narrower again in this region. In the rest of the body, they are taller than long, symmetrical, and smooth; the largest of these scales are slightly over 3 feet and 2% wide. Besides the caudal fin, only the pectoral fin is present, which is set very high and is somewhat curved; only halfway along its length do its rays begin to segment and finally split. The vertebral column is completely covered. The total length of this specimen from the beginning of the caudal fin to the tip of the jaw may have been 13 feet; from that point to the shoulder girdle, it measures 9°; the pectoral fin is about 1 foot 9 inches long. The greatest width of the body is 5 feet 9 inches, the smallest at the beginning of the caudal fin approximately 1 foot 4 inches. |
Measurements
No measurements are available
No ecological data are available