Calamopleurus

Calamopleurus is a prehistoric genus of marine halecomorph ray-finned fish from the Early Cretaceous of South America and northern Africa. It was a relative of the modern bowfin, with both belonging to the family Amiidae.^[1] C. cylindricus was among the largest known amiids, rivaling the giant Paleocene bowfin Amia pattersoni in size. However, both were slightly smaller than Melvius and Amia basiloides, the two largest known amiids. It is one of the earliest known amiids to evolve a large body size.^[2]

Calamopleurus Temporal range: Late Hauterivian to Early Cenomanian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Calamopleurus cylindricus
Reconstruction of Calamopleurus cylindricus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Clade:	Halecomorphi
Order:	Amiiformes
Family:	Amiidae
Subfamily:	†Vidalamiinae
Genus:	†Calamopleurus Agassiz, 1841
Type species
Calamopleurus cylindricus Agassiz, 1841
Species
See text

Taxonomy

It is thought Calamopleurus is a sister genus to Maliamia, the last surviving member of the vidalamiines, which is the largely marine amiid group that also contained Calamopleurus. Both are placed in the tribe Calamopleurini.^[3]

The genus contains three species:^[4][5]

• †C. africanus Forey & Grande, 1998 - Late Albian/Early Cenomanian of Morocco and Algeria^[6]
• †C. cylindricus Agassiz, 1841 - Late Aptian/Early Albian of Brazil (Crato and Santana Formations)
• †C. mawsoni Woodward, 1902 - Late Hauterivian/Early Barremian of Brazil (Bahia Group)

Calamopleurus africanus

This species lived in southern Morocco and Algeria during the Cretaceous period in the late Albian and early Cenomanian. It was described from fragmentary remains in the Kem Kem beds. Ossified dermopterotic ribs were inferred from a loose association between the dermosphenotic and the roof of the skull.^[7]

Cast of C. cylindricus with Vinctifer lodged in the pharynx.

Fossil of Calamopleurus eating Rhacolepis