Extinct genus of fishes
Dorypterus is a small, extinct genus of prehistoric marine ray-finned fish. It lived during the Wuchiapingian stage of the late Permian epoch in what is now Germany (Kupferschiefer) and England (Marl Slate). Indeterminate remains are known from Hunan, China. It is a hypsisomatic bobasatraniiform with a high dorsal fin. Due to anatomical differences with other bobasatraniiforms, such as the presence of pelvic fins and the reduced scale cover, "Dorypterus" is placed in its own monotypic family, Dorypteridae.
Two species are known, "D. hoffmanni" and "D. althausi", which are distinguished by differences in length of the dorsal fin. Whereas "D. hoffmanni" has a long dorsal fin, the dorsal fin of "D. althausi" is short. However, it is possible that this difference is due to sexual dimorphism, and that "D. althausi" represents the female phenotype of "D. hoffmanni". More recent surveys have "D. hoffmanni" as the only species in the genus.
"Dorypterus", with its deep body, was likely adapted for a slow-swimming lifestyle akin to modern reef fishes. It likely inhabited shallow lagoons dominated by large forests of algae, which it fed on with its scissor-like jaws. It may have been preyed upon by "Coelacanthus".
References.
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