mdpaulhus Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Since I am posting on fish IDs I thought I'd also try this one. Interesting story. I was in south central Montana hunting for Upper Jurassic belemnites, gryphae, etc, at a well publicized site and happened to wander down a small ravine with loose shale. Out of habit I pulled up a chunk and out popped the fish shown in the first picture. This is, of course, the opposite of my usual experiences. I managed to find a few more at the same site. I am posting a number of pictures of fish from this site in hopes that someone may have specialized fish knowledge and be able to help with an identification. The pictures are loaded in largest to smallest order. These fish are from the middle Jurassic (Lower Bathonian-Lower Callovian) Rierdon formation. The largest fish in the first picture is about 5" long. They all have small dorsal and anal fins even though these are not easily visible in all of the pictures. At least one of the pictures shows that the scales are diamond shaped. Interesting to note that some of these fish are preserved in an upright compression, particularly the smallest ones. I have tentatively identified these as Lepidotes but my fish seem to somewhat more streamlined than examples of this genus that I have been able to find on the web. Scale pattern and shape do look the same though. Any help would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoRon Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I don't know what species they are, but that's an awesome find. Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Those are great finds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2gould Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Cool looking fish. Can't help you on the ID but thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Man what a discovery!! Those fish are wonderfully preserved for their age. I can't ID them, but if I were you, I'd go back there often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 ...I pulled up a chunk and out popped the fish shown in the first picture... OK, you just had to say that, didn't you... Great finds and a great story! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdpaulhus Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 Well, just to ensure that everything worked out fairly and no stroke of good fortune went unpunished. This was a rainy day, and the mud was so thick and adhesive that it built up on my tires and ripped the rear fender off the SUV on the way back out. Still, perhaps it was worth it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 "Still, perhaps it was worth it?" YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleozoicfish Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 "Still, perhaps it was worth it?"YES The thinner ones look like Osteoglossomorphs "boney tongued fish." An early example would be Lycoptera from china, although these look a bit different, so probably not the same genus. PzF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Beautiful fossils..... well done for finding those...... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdpaulhus Posted June 27, 2009 Author Share Posted June 27, 2009 Beautiful fossils..... well done for finding those...... Thanks, I try to do my research before I head out on a fossil hunting trip. Thankfully I don't live too far from the University of Washington which has an excellent library. I end up travelling 3000-4000 miles on a typical 2 week trip on the west coast (my idea of a good vacation) so I don't like to come up empty handed at too many sites. Every once in a while, however, you get lucky and find the totally unexpected - this was one of those days. I'll take them any way I can get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdpaulhus Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 After much research, I found the ID for these right on my own bookshelf. Bruce Stinchcomb's book "Mesozoic Fossils 1" has a nice picture of these fish. They are Hulettia americanus (order Paleonisciformes). The earliest known paleoniscids were from the late Silurian and they died out in the early Cretaceous, so these were clearly later forms. Paleoniscids are the earliest known and most primitive ray-finned fish and have thick rhombic scales surfaced in enamel - this can clearly be seen in some of the photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Smilodon Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Since I am posting on fish IDs I thought I'd also try this one. ----------------------------------------- Do not tell anyone about where your site is. Jurassic fossil fish from the U.S are exceedingly rare and the preservation is outstanding. I've seen some from Mass. and New Mexico, but that's about it. If you tell anyone, be prepared to find that site wiped out faster than you can imagine. Get the stratigraphic data if you can, otherwise take detailed pictures of the site and the level the fish come from, collect all you can, save the best ones, and head to Denver in September or Tucson next year. I can't tell you if they need a light coating to preserve them. Someone here might know. Outstanding stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawooten Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Really nice specimens you found there and with the scales showing very nicely. Great find I am jealous. The best days are spent collecting fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrocklds Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 i have found some hewlettia in northern wyoming. they do need a fixative to preserve them or they dry up and crumble off the rock quickly. you are almost certainly in the hewlett formation. i have one that is a small baby that is about 1 inch long and dorsally preserved very similar to yours. Brock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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