Belantsea

Belantsea is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish that lived during the Lower Carboniferous, about 350 million years ago. It belongs to the order Petalodontiformes, which are called petalodonts, in the family Belantseidae. Its fossils are almost complete individuals.

Belantsea is the best known member of the order Petalodontiformes.

Description

Belantsea would essentially have been the Carboniferous equivalent of a parrotfish. Its body was leaf-shaped, with muscular fins and a small tail. Its few, large, triangular teeth formed a beak-like arrangement that allowed it to graze bryozoans, sponges, crinoids, and other encrusting animals.

Species

The species in this genus are:

Belantsea montana (type species) Lund, 1989
Belantsea occidentalis St. John and Worthen, 1875

Synonyms

Ctenopetalus occidentalis St. John and Worthen, 1875

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Petalodontiformes
Family: Belantseidae
Genus: Belantsea

Diet and size

Diet

Belantsea is a carnivore.

Size

It's up to 70 centimeters long.

Locations

You can find Belantsea fossils in the USA, including Kansas - Zeandale Limestone Formation, Montana - Heath Formation, and Nebraska.

Temporal range

Baskirian to Gzhelian of the Carboniferous.

Speed

Because of its rather ungraceful body and veil-like fins, experts believe that Belantsea was probably a slow swimmer.

Related pages

References

Lund, Richard (1989). "New petalodonts (Chondrichthyes) from the Upper Mississippian Bear Gulch Limestone (Namurian E₂b) of Montana". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 9 (3): 350–368.