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Harpacanthus fimbriatus

Harpacanthus Head

Head of Harpacanthus fimbriatus (Stock) in dorsal view


Harpacanthus complete
The hatched areas are missing from the specimens
spines
Harpacanthus fimbriatus was originally named on the basis of a single spine from Scotland. A second spine was discovered in the midcontinental U.S. Two specimens from the Bear Gulch Limestone show that the spines are actually articulated with the ethmoid region of the neurocranium of males, and thus constitute cranial tenaculae, as also seen in modern chimaeroids, Harpagofututor volsellorhinus, and several other distantly related Holocephali.  Harpacanthus, however, is not a holocephalan, although it apparently was quite close.

Reference:

  • Lund, R., and E.D. Grogan, 2004. Two tenaculum-bearing Holocephalimorpha (Chondrichthyes) from the Bear Gulch Limestone (Chesterian, Serpukhovian) of Montana, USA. part 1, p. 171-188 in Arratia, G., Wilson, M.V.H. and Cloutier, R. (eds), Recent advances in the origin and early radiation of vertebrates, Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München.

2/1/2006

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