Dorsetichthys

Dorsetichthys is an extinct genus of marine stem-teleost ray-finned fish from the Early Jurassic period of Europe. It contains a single species, D. bechei, known from the Sinemurian-aged Lower Lias of England.^[1]

Dorsetichthys Temporal range: Early Jurassic (Sinemurian), 199.3–190.8 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Fossil of Dorsetichthys bechei
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Division:	Teleostei
Order:	†Dorsetichthyiformes Arratia, 2013
Family:	†Dorsetichthyidae Arratia, 2013
Genus:	†Dorsetichthys Arratia, 2013
Species:	†D. bechei
Binomial name
†Dorsetichthys bechei (Agassiz, 1837)

Description

Dorsetichthys was an elongated teleost that could reach up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long.^[2][3] This fish had ganoid scales close to modern gars.^[2]

Taxonomy

The type species of Dorsetichthys, D. bechei, was formerly assigned to Pholidophorus, but Arratia (2013) recognized it as generically distinct from the Pholidophorus type species, placing it in the new family Dorsetichthyidae and new order Dorsetichthyiformes.^[2]

Cladogram of Teleosteomorpha after Sferco et al. 2021:^[4]

	Holostei
Teleostei total group (Teleosteomorpha)	Pachycormiformes Aspidorhynchiformes Mesturus Pholidophoridae Siemensichythys Dorsetichthys Eurycormus Leptolepidae Luisiellidae Tharsis dubius Varasichthyidae Ascalabos Ichthyodectiformes Teleostei crown group (including Crossognathiformes)