Australopachycormus Explained

Australopachycormus is an extinct genus of marine pachycormiform fish. It is only known from the type species, A. hurleyi, from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Toolebuc Formation of Queensland, Australia. Like the related Protosphyraena, it possessed an elongated rostrum.^{[1] [2]} Recent studies have recovered it as a junior synonym of Protosphyraena because of their lack of chronological separation and because of the fragmentary pectoral fin of Australopachycormus which is indistinguishable to consider it as a valid taxon.^{[3] [4]}

Etymology

The generic name derives from the Greek word 'Australo' (meaning 'southern') and pachycormus' (pachycormid generic name), referring to the fact that A. hurleyi is the first early Cretaceous pachycormid recorded from the southern hemisphere. The specific name honors Tom Hurley, who discovered the holotype specimen.

Notes and References

1. Web site: PBDB Taxon . 2024-06-11 . paleobiodb.org.
2. Kear. Benjamin P.. 2007-12-12. First record of a pachycormid fish (Actinopterygii: Pachycormiformes) from the Lower Cretaceous of Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. en. 27. 4. 1033–1038. 10.1671/0272-4634(2007)27[1033:FROAPF]2.0.CO;2. 89193950 . 0272-4634. subscription.
3. Gouiric-Cavalli . Soledad . Arratia . Gloria . 2021-11-02 . A new †Pachycormiformes (Actinopterygii) from the Upper Jurassic of Gondwana sheds light on the evolutionary history of the group . Journal of Systematic Palaeontology . en . 19 . 21 . 1517–1550 . 10.1080/14772019.2022.2049382 . 1477-2019.
4. Kanarkina . A. . Zverkov . N. . Polyakova . I. . 2024 . New evidence of the global distribution of the swordfish-like pachycormid Protosphyraena in the late Early Cretaceous and a review of global records of the genus . Cretaceous Research . 106019 . 10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106019 .