Caturus furcatus Agassiz, 1834

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopteri Cope 1871
Order: Amiiformes Hay 1929
Family: Caturidae
Genus: Caturus
Species: Caturus furcatus
Author Citation Agassiz 1834

Geological Time Scale

Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Mesozoic
Period: Jurassic
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Late
International Age: Tithonian

Stratigraphy

Weissjura Group
Solnhofen Formation

Biostratigraphy

Hybonotum Zone
Riedense Subzone

Provenance

Acquired by: Purchase/Trade

Dimensions

Length: 52 cm

Location

Niefnecker Quarry
Schernfeld
Bavaria
Germany

• caturus
• jurassic
• lithographic limestone
• solnhofen

Comments

The Caturidae are represented in the Solnhofen Formation by at least four species:

Caturus furcatus Agassiz 1834, Caturus giganteus Wagner, 1851, Caturus pachyurus Agassiz, 1833 (all from Solnhofen) and Caturus bellicianus Thiollière 1852 from Solnhofen, Germany and Cerin, France. C. giganteus is now transferred to the new genus Strobilobodus; the last two species were transferred to the revived sister genus Amblysemius (now Amblysemius pachyurus and Amblysemius bellicianus).  

C. furcatus was clearly a predator as evidenced by its mouth full of sharp teeth. It was a notable fast swimmer possessing an elongated, somewhat thickset body with slender head. Together with its only sister genus Amblysemius, Caturus was a member of the extinct Halecomorpha family Caturidae. It appears that the halecomorph Liodesmus, known from Solnhofen only, is related to the Caturids, rather than the Amiiforms, as has been usually surmised.  Caturus possessed ganoid scales that are more cycloid in nature and as a member of the holosteans a bony skeleton with a partially ossified vertebral column. The head is short an equipped with powerfully toothed jaws. The dorsal fin is pointed and attached just posterior to the body's midpoint. anal fin is attached somewhat more to the rear. The caudal fin is large and deeply divided.

 Less than 5% of all adult Caturus show peculiar anal fins with two small outgrows of unknown function (such as seen here).

With a hefty 52cm or 20" in length, this is clearly an adult specimen.