Thoracopterus Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
Thoracopterus magnificus fossil | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | †Thoracopterus Bronn, 1858
|
Binomial name | |
†Thoracopterus niederristi Bronn, 1858
| |
Other species | |
| |
Synonyms | |
|
Thoracopterus is an extinct genus of overwater gliding ray-finned fish. It was common to the late Middle Triassic and Late Triassic epochs in what is now Europe and China.[1]
Thoracopterus had elongate pectoral fins, similar to modern Exocoetidae, which are used to glide overwater in order to escape aquatic predators. Thoracopterus represents one of the earliest known example for overwater gliding in actinopterygians.