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Aspidorhynchus obtusirostris

Osteichthyes - Acropomatiformes - Aspidorhynchidae

Taxonomy
Aspidorhynchus obtusirostris was named by Wagner (1863). It is a compression fossil. Its type locality is Eichstätt (MNHB collection), which is in a Kimmeridgian/Tithonian lagoonal/restricted shallow subtidal limestone in the Solnhofen Formation of Germany.

Entered
by D. Sinopoli (authorized by M. Uhen) on 2026-06-18; modified by D. Sinopoli on 2026-06-18

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1863Aspidorhynchus obtusirostris Wagner p. 687

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
classOsteichthyes
subclassActinopterygii()
RankNameAuthor
orderAcropomatiformes
infraclassActinopteri()
Teleosteomorpha
AspidorhyncheiNelson et al. 2016
orderAspidorhynchiformesBleeker 1859
familyAspidorhynchidaeBleeker 1859
genusAspidorhynchus
speciesobtusirostris

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.

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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
J. Wagner 1863A beautiful specimen presented in a double plate by Eichstädt prompts me to establish a new species, which differs very strikingly from the others both in the shortness and the thickness of its upper jaw. While in *Asp. acutirostris*, *mandibularis*, and *longissimus* the upper jaw tapers into a very long, slender, gradually tapering, fine point, in the present specimen the upper jaw is not only considerably shorter, but it extends forward with almost the same and considerable width, ending here in a blunt, club-shaped rounding. In all other respects, this specimen agrees with the other two species and, with regard to its width, is intermediate between them. Since the scales almost exclusively show only the inner surface and the few which are visible from the outside have lost their enamel coating, it is impossible to say for certain whether the scales on the outer surface were smooth or striated; according to some indications, the latter seems to be the case.
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: hydroxyapatitef
Environment: marinef
Locomotion: actively mobilef
Life habit: nektonicf
Depth habitat: surfacef
Diet: carnivoref
Created: 2009-07-20 07:06:47
Modified: 2009-07-20 23:10:06
Source: f = family
Reference: Kiessling 2004

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Kimmeridgian to the top of the Early/Lower Tithonian or 152.21000 to 145.06000 Ma

Collections: one only


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Kimmeridgian - Early/Lower Tithonian152.21 - 145.06Germany (Bayern) Aspidorhynchus obtusirostris (type locality: 228758)