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The
Cenomanian (97.5 - 91 million year old) sublithographic
limestone deposits of Hajoula,
Lebanon rival the Eocene (50 million year old) deposits
of Wyoming for the degree of preservation and variety
of fish to be found. The other lifeforms found with them
are indicative of a warm and shallow sea environment.
The deposits themselves are found in basins only a few
hundred meters across, and are indicative of slow deposition
during a stagnant stage. They are currently to be found
at depths up to 800 feet.
At
5 inches in length, this Cryptoberyx minimus is a large
example. Cryptoberyx is a member of the Order Beryciformes
which belongs to an as-yet unnamed Family. They are thought
to have been schooling fishes. They went extinct at the
end of the Cretaceous leaving no descendants. Armigatus
brevissimus was a member of Order Ellimmichthyformes as
was Diplomystus, a genus familiar to many who collect
fish of the Eocene. These schooling Teleost fish measure
an average of 2 1/2 inches in length,and display well
on this museum-quality 27 inch by 8 inch matrix plate.
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