Name: Euteleostei; Osmeridae; Mallotus villosus

Age: Lower Pleistocene

Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): 140 mm in length in 140 mm by 40 mm nodule

Location: Greenland, Southwest Coast

Code: 4227

Price: $275.00 - Sold

Description: The Capelin Mallotus villosus still exists today, and is found in large schools in seas throughout the Northern Hemsiphere. They feed upon various types of plankton, and in turn serve as the premier forage fish for larger fish such as cod and halibut. Indeed, they are used as bait in cod fishing. They collect near Iceland in the Fall in huge numbers. The name Capelin is Old French for chaplain, referring to the cape-like fringes of elongated scales that spawning males develop. Villosus is Latin for hairy, also referring to these same scales. This one is from the Early Pleistocene, and quite complete in its concretionary nodule. It comes complete with a 160 mm by 135 mm glass-fronted display box containing a picture of the fish in life as well as age and location information.