Idrissia
| Idrissia Temporal range: Cenomanian to Lower Eocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| I. turkmenica from Turkmenistan | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Stomiiformes |
| Family: | incertae sedis |
| Genus: | Idrissia |
Idrissia is a primitive genus of the order Stomiiformes, and is an extinct relative of marine hatchetfish and viperfish. Idrissia's position in the order is in doubt, however, as scientists have not studied enough fossil specimens to determine exactly which stomiiforms the genus is most closely related to.
Their fossils are found in regions in northern Africa and Eurasia that correspond to the Tethys Ocean, and range from the Cenomanian epoch of the Cretaceous to the Lower Eocene, when they disappear from the fossil record altogether.
In life, Idrissia species would have had a superficial resemblance to a small-eyed lanternfish or a minnow.
References
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