Extinct genus of fishes
Perleidus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish from the Triassic period. Fossils have been found in the Middle Triassic of Italy, Switzerland, and China. The inclusion of Early Triassic species in the genus "Perleidus" was questioned.
Ecology.
"Perleidus" was a marine predatory fish, about in length. Its jaws hung vertically under the braincase, allowing them to open wide, a feature it shared with the earlier palaeonisciform fish, from which it may have been descended. Unlike those earlier fish, however, "Perleidus" and its relatives had highly flexible dorsal and anal fins, with a reduced number of fin rays. This would have made the fish more agile in the water.
Classification.
The genus "Perleidus" currently comprises two species: "P. altolepis" (type) and "P. sinensis".
The type species was originally described as "Semionotus altolepis" by Wilhelm Deecke. The genus "Perleidus" was later erected for this species, named after the comune (municipality) of Perledo in the Province of Lecco in Lombardy, northern Italy. Several species from the Early Triassic were subsequently referred to the genus "Perleidus" based on superficial resemblances. In 2017, a new genus, "Teffichthys", was erected for Early Triassic species of "Perleidus".
"Perleidus" is the name giving taxon for the family Perleididae and the order Perleidiformes.
References.
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