Description
- Platysomus striatus
- Permian Age
- Kupferschiefer Beds
- Bad Sachsa, Lower Saxony, Germany
- This is a RARE FOSSIL! The fish measures approx. 3″ long. Overall size of the matrix is approx. 6.25″ x 6.5″
Platysomus is an extinct bony fish, belonging to paleonisciforms . It lived between the lower Carboniferous and the upper Permian (about 345 – 255 million years ago).
The body of this fish was discoidal, tall and flattened sideways. Usually Platysomus did not exceed 20 centimeters in length, but 50 centimeters long specimens are also known. The dorsal and anal fins were extremely elongated and protruded from the apex of the body (the dorsal one) and from the lowest point of the body (the anal one) and then reached the base of the tail. The caudal fin was equipped with a particularly robust upper lobe, a feature found in all paleonisciforms and many archaic bony fishes. Platysomus was also equipped with a tall, rather short skull, with small teeth and jaws positioned just below the skull. The scales of Platysomus were rhomboidal and covered the whole body; those in the lower part were larger than those in the dorsal part.
