Megapiranha
For the 2010 film, see Mega Piranha.
| Megapiranha | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Characiformes |
| Family: | Characidae |
| Subfamily: | Serrasalminae Géry, 1972 |
| Genus: | †Megapiranha Cione et al. 2009 |
| Species: | †M. paranensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Megapiranha paranensis(type) | |
Megapiranha paranensis is an extinct serrasalmid characin fish from the Late Miocene (8–10 million years ago) of Argentina described in 2009.[1] It is thought to have been up to a meter in length. The Holotype consists only of premaxillae and a zigzag tooth row; the rest of its body is unknown.[2] This dentition is reminiscent of both the double-row seen in pacus, and the single row seen in the teeth of modern piranhas, suggesting that M. paranensis is a transitional form.
References
- ↑ Live Science: Toothy 3-foot Piranha Fossil Found
- ↑ Cione, Alberto Luis; Dahdul, Wasila M.; Lundberg, John G.; Machado-Allison, Antonio (2009). "Megapiranha paranensis, a new genus and species of Serrasalmidae (Characiformes, Teleostei) from the Upper Miocene of Argentina". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 29 (2): 350. doi:10.1671/039.029.0221. Summary of the paper
External links
- New fossil tells how piranhas got their teeth
- Megapiranha article with size comparison to a human on prehistoric-wildlife.com.
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