Eozanclus

Eozanclus ("dawn Zanclus") was an extinct genus of marine ray-finned fish, closely related to the modern Moorish idol, that lived during Eocene. It contains a single species, E. brevirostris that lived during the late Ypresian epoch in what is now Monte Bolca, northern Italy. It is one of two known fossil Moorish idols from Monte Bolca alongside Angiolinia.^[1][2][3] It differs from its living relative by having a much shorter snout.

Eozanclus Temporal range: late Ypresian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Fossil specimen, Museo di Storia Naturale di Verona
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Acanthuriformes
Family:	Zanclidae
Genus:	†Eozanclus Blot & Voruz, 1975
Species:	†E. brevirostris
Binomial name
†Eozanclus brevirostris (Agassiz, 1835)
Synonyms
Zanclus brevirostris Agassiz, 1835

It was first erroneously figured by Volta (1796) as a specimen of the Moorish idol itself (then known as Chaetodon canescens). It was later officially described by Agassiz (1835) as its own species within Zanclus, before being moved to its own genus in 1975.^[4]

Life restoration