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Holoptychius
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<h2 id="description">Description</h2> <p><i>Holoptychius</i> was a streamlined predator about 50 centimetres (20 in) long (though largest specimen could grew up to 2.5 metres (8.2 ft)), which fed on other <a href="/facts/Bony_fish/nXoXEj3a">bony fish</a>. Its rounded scales and body form indicate that it could have swum quickly through the water to catch prey.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> Similar to other <a href="/facts/Rhipidistia/qawK0f0B">rhipidistians</a>, it had fang-like <a href="/facts/Teeth/Wc6IqwVf">teeth</a> on its <a href="/facts/Palate/o0RMlkss">palate</a> in addition to smaller teeth on the jaws. Its asymmetrical tail sported a <a href="/facts/Caudal_fin/kS10PMPf">caudal fin</a> on its lower end. To compensate for the downward push caused by this fin placement, the <a href="/facts/Pectoral_fin/kS10PMPf">pectoral fins</a> of <i>Holoptychius</i> were placed high on the body. </p> <h2 id="species">Species</h2> <p>Of the genus <i>Holoptychius</i> the following <a href="/facts/Species/oDg6b96r">species</a> have been described:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <ul><li><i>H. americanus</i></li> <li><i>H. andersoni</i></li> <li><i>H. bergmanni</i> (Downs et al, 2013) from the <a href="/facts/Frasnian/A20Pj5QJ">Frasnian</a>-aged <a href="/facts/Fram_Formation/HbVSPK6E">Fram Formation</a> of <a href="/facts/Ellesmere_Island/mtWoFsE2">Ellesmere Island</a>, <a href="/facts/Arctic_Canada/hQcSoWkW">Arctic Canada</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a></li> <li><i>H. flemingi</i></li> <li><i>H. giganteus</i></li> <li><i>H. halli</i></li> <li><i>H. hopkinsii</i></li> <li><i>H. nobilissimus</i></li> <li><i>H. quebecensis</i></li> <li><i>H</i>. sp. indet. from the <a href="/facts/Kennebecasis_Formation/xqSKfqn2">Kennebecasis Formation</a> of <a href="/facts/New_Brunswick/SLTqCmM2">New Brunswick</a>, <a href="/facts/Canada/cWWFM8oc">Canada</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a></li> <li><i>H.</i> sp. indet. from the <a href="/facts/Cuche_Formation/Eh7PwHtC">Cuche Formation</a> of <a href="/facts/Colombia/nl7r8Q2u">Colombia</a>, known from an isolated tooth (UN-DG-PALV86) and preserved scales (UN-DG-PALV50-51).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="distribution">Distribution</h2> <p>Fossils of <i>Holoptychius</i> have been found in the <a href="/facts/Mississippian_(geology)/tqsS6Ifj">Mississippian</a> of the <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a> and the Devonian of <a href="/facts/Belgium/YKuMXP5j">Belgium</a>, Colombia (<a href="/facts/Cuche_Formation/Eh7PwHtC">Cuche Formation</a>, <a href="/facts/Boyac%C3%A1_Department/9h0C1s7S">Boyacá</a>),<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Norway/wlDRKRTR">Norway</a>, Canada,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> the <a href="/facts/Russia/jfkCwyxn">Russian Federation</a>, and the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a> (<a href="/facts/Pennsylvania/HGqC5bBm">Pennsylvania</a>).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="palaeoecology">Palaeoecology</h2> <p>Isotopic analysis of <i>Holoptychius</i> remains from <a href="/facts/Greenland/aagXRTB7">Greenland</a> reveals that it was likely a <a href="/facts/Euryhaline/V39UNHdL">euryhaline</a> organism.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="gallery">Gallery</h2> <ul> <li>Paleontology portal</li><li>Fish portal</li></ul> <h3>Bibliography</h3> <ul><li>Janvier, Philippe; Villarroel A, Carlos (1998). <a href="https://www.academia.edu/29941586">"Los Peces Devónicos del Macizo de Floresta (Boyacá, Colombia). Consideraciones taxonómicas, bioestratigráficas, biogeográficas y ambientales"</a>. <i>Geología Colombiana</i>. 23: 3–18. Retrieved 2017-03-31.</li></ul> <p> Media related to Holoptychius at Wikimedia Commons </p> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Roberts, George (1839). An etymological and explanatory dictionary of the terms and language of geology. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans. p. 78. Retrieved 30 December 2021. <a href="https://archive.org/details/anetymologicala00robegoog" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/anetymologicala00robegoog</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Species Holoptychius[permanent dead link] <a href="https://fossiilid.info/12069/species" target="_blank">https://fossiilid.info/12069/species</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 43. ISBN 1-84028-152-9. <a href="1-84028-152-9" target="_blank">1-84028-152-9</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Holland, Timothy (2010). "Upper Devonian osteichthyan remains from the Genoa River, Victoria, Australia" (PDF). Memoirs of Museum Victoria. 67: 35–44. doi:10.24199/j.mmv.2010.67.04. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2017-04-04. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124155/http://museumvictoria.com.au/pages/21374/67_holland.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124155/http://museumvictoria.com.au/pages/21374/67_holland.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Species Holoptychius[permanent dead link] <a href="https://fossiilid.info/12069/species" target="_blank">https://fossiilid.info/12069/species</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Downs, Jason P.; Daeschler, Edward B.; Jenkins, Farish A.; Shubin, Neil H. (2013-03). "Holoptychius bergmannisp. nov. (Sarcopterygii, Porolepiformes) from the Upper Devonian of Nunavut, Canada, and a Review ofHoloptychiusTaxonomy". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 162 (1): 47–59. doi:10.1635/053.162.0104. ISSN 0097-3157. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262376306_Holoptychius_bergmanni_sp_nov_Sarcopterygii_Porolepiformes_from_the_Upper_Devonian_of_Nunavut_Canada_and_a_Review_of_Holoptychius_Taxonomy" target="_blank">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262376306_Holoptychius_bergmanni_sp_nov_Sarcopterygii_Porolepiformes_from_the_Upper_Devonian_of_Nunavut_Canada_and_a_Review_of_Holoptychius_Taxonomy</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Miller, Randall F.; Brazeau, Martin D. (2007-01-01). "A Late Devonian porolepiform fish (Holoptychius) and the age of the kennebecasis formation, southern New Brunswick, Canada". Atlantic Geology. 43: 187–197. doi:10.4138/5650. <a href="https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&issn=08435561&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA264271870&sid=googleScholar&linkaccess=abs" target="_blank">https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&issn=08435561&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA264271870&sid=googleScholar&linkaccess=abs</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Mondéjar-Fernández, Jorge; Janvier, Philippe (2014-10-01). "Further evidence for the presence of holoptychiid porolepiforms (Sarcopterygii, Dipnomorpha) from the Frasnian of Colombia". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 13 (7): 587–597. Bibcode:2014CRPal..13..587M. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2014.03.009. ISSN 1631-0683. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.crpv.2014.03.009" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.crpv.2014.03.009</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Janvier & Villarroel, 1998 <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Mondéjar-Fernández, Jorge; Janvier, Philippe (2014-10-01). "Further evidence for the presence of holoptychiid porolepiforms (Sarcopterygii, Dipnomorpha) from the Frasnian of Colombia". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 13 (7): 587–597. Bibcode:2014CRPal..13..587M. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2014.03.009. ISSN 1631-0683. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.crpv.2014.03.009" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.crpv.2014.03.009</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Downs, Jason P.; Daeschler, Edward B.; Jenkins, Farish A.; Shubin, Neil H. (2013-03). "Holoptychius bergmannisp. nov. (Sarcopterygii, Porolepiformes) from the Upper Devonian of Nunavut, Canada, and a Review ofHoloptychiusTaxonomy". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 162 (1): 47–59. doi:10.1635/053.162.0104. ISSN 0097-3157. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262376306_Holoptychius_bergmanni_sp_nov_Sarcopterygii_Porolepiformes_from_the_Upper_Devonian_of_Nunavut_Canada_and_a_Review_of_Holoptychius_Taxonomy" target="_blank">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262376306_Holoptychius_bergmanni_sp_nov_Sarcopterygii_Porolepiformes_from_the_Upper_Devonian_of_Nunavut_Canada_and_a_Review_of_Holoptychius_Taxonomy</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Miller, Randall F.; Brazeau, Martin D. (2007-01-01). "A Late Devonian porolepiform fish (Holoptychius) and the age of the kennebecasis formation, southern New Brunswick, Canada". Atlantic Geology. 43: 187–197. doi:10.4138/5650. <a href="https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&issn=08435561&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA264271870&sid=googleScholar&linkaccess=abs" target="_blank">https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&issn=08435561&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA264271870&sid=googleScholar&linkaccess=abs</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Holoptychius at Fossilworks.org <a href="https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=149966" target="_blank">https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=149966</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Goedert, Jean; Lécuyer, Christophe; Amiot, Romain; Arnaud-Godet, Florent; Wang, Xu; Cui, Linlin; Cuny, Gilles; Douay, Guillaume; Fourel, François; Panczer, Gérard; Simon, Laurent; Steyer, J.-Sébastien; Zhu, Min (30 May 2018). "Euryhaline ecology of early tetrapods revealed by stable isotopes". Nature. 558 (7708): 68–72. doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0159-2. ISSN 1476-4687. Retrieved 14 February 2025. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0159-2" target="_blank">https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0159-2</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>