Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio: Lampripterygii
Superordo: Lampridiomorpha
Ordo: Lampridiformes
Familia: Lamprididae
Genus: †Megalampris
Species: †Megalampris keyesi
Name
Megalampris keyesi Gottfried, Fordyce & Rust, 2006
References
Primary references
Gottfried, M.D., Fordyce, R.E. & Rust, S. 2006. Megalampris keyesi, a giant moonfish (Teleostei, Lampridiformes) from the late Oligocene of New Zealand. Journal of vertebrate paleontology 26(3): 544–551. DOI: 10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[544:MKAGMT]2.0.CO;2 Paywall Reference page.
Megalampris keyesi is an extinct opah from the late Oligocene of New Zealand about 26 million years ago. It was recovered from the Otekaike Limestone in North Otago, by a team led by Ewan Fordyce from the Geology Department of the University of Otago. The species is named in honour of the New Zealand palaeontologist Ian Warwick Keyes (1938-2004). It is the largest fossil teleost fish from New Zealand, the spectacular remains comprise three large limestone blocks containing mostly caudal skeleton. These are on display in the Otago Museum, Dunedin, New Zealand. Some of the vertebral centra preserved are 90 mm across. Comparison with the skeletons of living Lampris species suggest the giant fish was around 4 metres (13 ft) in length when alive, which is twice the length of the largest living opah species, Lampris guttatus.[1] The cleithra in the fossil are significantly enlarged to suggest that Megalampris used the pectoral swimming mode characteristic of moonfishes.
References
Gottfried, Michael D.; Fordyce, R. Ewan; Rust, Seabourne (2006). "Megalampris keyesi, a Giant Moonfish (Teleostei, Lampridiformes) from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 6 (3): 544–551. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[544:MKAGMT]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 85849900.
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