Fubarichthys copiosus
Class Actinoptergyii, Order Paleonisciformes
Geological Time: Mississippian (~320 m.y.a.)
Size (25.4mm = 1 inch): Fubarichthys fish fossil is 112 mm (tip of snout to tip of tail along backbone); Matrix: 135 mm by 75 mm
Fossil Site: Heath Shale Formation, Bear Gulch Limestone, Fergus County, Montana
Fossil Code: BGF642
Price: Sold
 Description:
he Bear Gulch Limestone is a deposit of some 70 square km in extent
and 30 m in depth that has been a source of one of the most diverse
assemblages of fossil fish with some 110 species having been described
over the past 30 years. Most were new to science, and provided
a unique view of the marine environment of Mississippian times.
Fine preservation of both fish and invertebrates is a hallmark
of these deposits, presumably due to an anoxic depositional environment.
This fish is a palaeoniscoid with a most unusual name: Fubarichthys.
The name was given to the fish because most specimens are found
with a severely disarticulated head (fubar in common parlance means
fouled up beyond all recognition). This one is preserved in a ventral
position that shows many fine details, particularly to the scales. |
