Saurichthyiformes

Saurichthyiformes is an extinct order of ray-finned fish which existed in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North America, during the late Permian to early Middle Jurassic. Saurichthyiiformes comprise two families, Saurichthyidae and Yelangichthyidae. Yelangichthyidae is monotypic, containing only the genus Yelangichthys. The gar or needlefish-like Saurichthyidae is primarily known from the genus Saurichthys. Additionally, the subgenera Saurorhynchus Costasaurichthys, Eosaurichthys, Lepidosaurichthys, and Sinosaurichthys are frequently used to group species, and are sometimes considered separate genera. Species are known from both marine end freshwater deposits. They had their highest diversity during the Early and Middle Triassic. Their phylogenetic position is uncertain, while they have often been considered members of Chondrostei, and thus related to living sturgeons and paddlefish, phylogenetic analysis of well-preserved remains has considered this relationship equivocal. They may actually belong to the stem-group of Actinopterygii, and thus not closely related to any living group of ray-finned fish.

Systematics

• Order †Saurichthyiformes <small>Aldinger, 1937</small> [Saurichthyida <small>Berg, 1937]</small>
• Family †Saurichthyidae <small>Owen 1860</small> [Saurichthyoidei <small>Bleeker 1859</small>; Belonorhynchidae <small>Woodward 1888</small>; Saurorhynchidae <small>Jordan, 1905</small>]
• Genus †Saurichthys <small>Agassiz, 1834</small> [Belonorhynchus <small>Bronn 1858</small>; Brevisaurichthys <small>Beltan 1972</small>; Giffonus <small>Costa 1862</small>; Gymnosaurichthys <small>Berg 1940</small>; Ichthyorhynchus <small>Bellotti 1857</small>; Stylorhynchus <small>Martin 1873, non Lesson 1847, non Stein 1848</small>; Systolichthys <small>Beltan 1972</small>]
• †Saurichthys apicalis <small>Agassiz 1834</small> (type species)
• †Saurichthys breviabdominalis <small>Maxwell et al. 2015</small>
• †Saurichthys curionii <small>(Bellotti 1857)</small>
• †Saurichthys daubreei <small>Firtion 1934</small>
• †Saurichthys dawaziensis <small>Wu et al. 2009</small>
• †Saurichthys dianneae <small>Maxwell et al. 2016</small>
• †Saurichthys dongusensis <small>Minich 1992</small>
• †Saurichthys eximius <small>Minikh 1982</small>
• †Saurichthys gigas <small>(Woodward 1890), non von Quenstedt 1858</small>
• †Saurichthys gracilis <small>(Woodward 1890)</small>
• †Saurichthys grignae <small>Tintori 2013</small>
• †Saurichthys gypsophilus <small>Reis 1892</small>
• †Saurichthys hamiltoni <small>Stensiö 1925</small>
• †Saurichthys hoffmanni <small>Werneburg et al. 2014</small>
• †Saurichthys huanshenensis <small>Chou & Liu 1957</small>
• †Saurichthys irregularis <small>Oertle 1928</small>
• †Saurichthys latifrons <small>Eck 1865</small>
• †Saurichthys lepidosteoides <small>Frech 1903</small>
• †Saurichthys macrocephalus <small>(Deecke 1889)</small>
• †Saurichthys majiashanensis <small>Tintori et al. 2014</small>
• †Saurichthys minimahleri <small>Werneburg et al. 2014</small>
• †Saurichthys nepalensis <small>Beltan & Janvier 1978</small>
• †Saurichthys obrutchevi <small>Minich 1981</small>
• †Saurichthys orientalis <small>Sytchevskaya 1999</small>
• †Saurichthys parvidens <small>Wade 1935</small>
• †Saurichthys piveteaui <small>Beltan 1968</small>
• †Saurichthys proximus <small>Minich 1981</small>
• †Saurichthys rieppeli <small>Maxwell et al. 2015</small>
• †Saurichthys sceltrichensis <small>Renesto et al. 2021</small>
• †Saurichthys seefeldensis <small>Kner 1867</small>
• †Saurichthys spinosa <small>Wu et al. 2018</small>
• †Saurichthys stensioi <small>Lehman 1952</small>
• †Saurichthys sui <small>Fang & Wu 2022</small>
• †Saurichthys tenuirostris <small>Münster 1839</small>
• †Saurichthys tertius <small>Minich 1982</small>
• †Saurichthys ultimus <small>Minikh 1992</small>
• †Saurichthys vjuschkovi <small>Minikh 1983</small>
• †Saurichthys yangjuanensis <small>Wu et al. 2015</small>
• †Saurichthys yunnanensis <small>Zhang, Zhou, Lu & Bai 2010</small>
• Subgenus †Costasaurichthys <small>Tintori, 2013</small>
• †Saurichthys (Costasaurichthys) costasquamosus <small>Rieppel 1985</small> (type species)
• †Saurichthys (Costasaurichthys) paucitrichus <small>Rieppel 1992</small>
• Subgenus †Eosaurichthys <small>Liu & Wei, 1988</small>
• †Saurichthys (Eosaurichthys) chaoi <small>(Liu and Wei 1988)</small> (type species)
• †Saurichthys (Eosaurichthys) madagascariensis <small>Piveteau 1945</small>
• Subgenus †Lepidosaurichthys <small>Tintori, 2013</small>
• †Saurichthys (Lepidosaurichthys) dayi <small>(Raymond 1925)</small> (type species)
• †Saurichthys (Lepidosaurichthys) elongatus <small>Stensiö 1925</small>
• †Saurichthys (Lepidosaurichthys) ornatus <small>Stensiö 1925</small>
• †Saurichthys (Lepidosaurichthys) toxolepis <small>Mutter et al. 2008</small>
• †Saurichthys (Lepidosaurichthys) wimani <small>(Woodward 1912)</small>
• Subgenus †Sinosaurichthys <small>Wu et al., 2010</small>
• †Saurichthys (Sinosaurichthys) longipectoralis <small> Wu et al. 2009</small> (type species)
• †Saurichthys (Sinosaurichthys) longimedialis <small> Wu et al. 2009</small>
• †Saurichthys (Sinosaurichthys) minuta <small> Wu et al. 2009</small>
• Genus †Saurorhynchus <small>Reis, 1892</small> [Acidorhynchus <small>Stensiö, 1925</small>]
• †Saurichthys (Saurorhynchus) calcaratus <small>Griffith 1977</small>
• †Saurichthys (Saurorhynchus) deperditus <small>(Costa 1862)</small>
• †Saurichthys (Saurorhynchus) striolatus <small>Bronn 1858</small>
• †Saurorhynchus acutus <small>(Agassiz 1844)</small> (type species)
• †Saurorhynchus anningae <small>Maxwell & Stumpf 2017</small>
• †Saurorhynchus brevirostris <small>(Woodward 1895)</small>
• †Saurorhynchus hauffi <small>Maxwell & Stumpf 2017</small>
• Family †Yelangichthyidae <small>Wu et al., 2013</small>
• Genus †Yelangichthys <small>Wu et al., 2013</small>
• †Yelangichthys macrocephalus <small>Wu et al., 2013</small> (type species)

Phylogeny

Modified from Maxwell et al. (also see Renesto et al., Argyriou et al. and Gardiner et al.)

Timeline of genera

References

Additional references