ACTINOPTERYGII
While the actinopterygians is the largest and most diverse of the modern fish, they only gained this diversity in the Jurassic. Fragmentary remains are first seen in the late Silurian but the first complete fossils belonging to the geuns Cheirolepis are seen in the Mid Devonian of Scotland. Cheirolepis is atypical of this group having tiny ganoin-covered scales and lacking the acrodine cap on its teeth, however, it has many other actinopterygian features such as a single dorsal fin and large maxilla. The large size, slender body shape and wide gape suggest Cheirolepis must have been a predator however it is the only Devonian form that is not marine(being found in the the Old Red Sandstone of Scotland and Miguasha
Actinopterygians in my collection
Cheirolepis trailli
Devonian
Orkney, Scotland
Cheirolepis trailli
Devonian
Lethen-Bar, Scotland
Platysomus
superbus Carboniferous
Langholm, Scotland
Bishofia lucida
kazantseva Carboniferous
Unknown Permian fish from West-Timor
