Moythomasia

Moythomasia (named for James Alan Moy-Thomas)^[1] is an extinct genus of early ray-finned fish from the Devonian period of Europe and Australia.

Moythomasia Temporal range: Middle Devonian–Late Devonian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
†Moythomasia nitida Gross 1953 from the Devonian (Givetian) of Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Family:	†Moythomasiidae Kazantseva, 1971
Genus:	†Moythomasia Gross, 1950 non Whitley, 1951
Species
M. devonica (Clarke, 1885) M. durgaringa Gardiner & Bartram, 1977 M. lineata Choo, 2015 M. nitida Gross, 1953 M. perforata (Gross, 1942)
Synonyms
Aldingeria Gross, 1942 non Moy-Thomas, 1942

Moythomasia was a small freshwater fish, 9 centimetres (3.5 in) long. It had relatively large eyes, presumably to find prey in murky water. Its body was covered in specialized ganoid scales; the upper side of each scale sported a small pin that perfectly fit into the hollow lower side of the next scale. This allowed the fish to be both armored and flexible.^[2]

Species

• M. devonica (Clarke, 1885) [Palaeoniscus devonicus Clarke, 1885; Rhadinichthys devonicus (Clarke, 1885)]
• M. durgaringa Gardiner & Bartram, 1977
• M. lineata Choo, 2015
• M. nitida Gross, 1953
• M. perforata (Gross, 1942) [Aldingeria perforata Gross, 1942]

References

• Paleontology portal

1. Alexander, R. McNeill (1975). The chordates. London; New York : Cambridge University Press. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-0-521-20472-9.
2. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 35. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.