Mesomyzon

Mesomyzon
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous
Barremian–Aptian
Life reconstruction of Mesomyzon mengae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Hyperoartia
Order: Petromyzontiformes
Genus: Mesomyzon
Chang, Zhang & Miao 2006
Type species
Mesomyzon mengae
Chang, Zhang & Miao 2006

Mesomyzon mengae is an extinct lamprey from freshwater strata of the Early Cretaceous-aged Yixian Formation, in China. So far, M. mengae is the only lamprey, and by default, the only agnathan known from post-Paleozoic fossils.[1]

The animal's exquisitely preserved fossils show a creature very similar to modern-day lampreys, having a well-developed sucking oral disk, a branchial basket, at least seven pairs of gill pouches and corresponding gill arches, impressions of gill filaments, and at least 80 myomeres of its musculature.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Chang, M. M.; Zhang, J.; Miao, D. (2006). "A lamprey from the Cretaceous Jehol biota of China". Nature. 441 (7096): 972–974. doi:10.1038/nature04730. PMID 16791193.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.