Oniichthys

Oniichthys is an extinct genus of gar in the family Lepisosteidae. It contains a single species, O. falipoui, known from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Morocco.^[1]

Oniichthys Temporal range: Cenomanian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Clade:	Ginglymodi
Order:	Lepisosteiformes
Family:	Lepisosteidae
Tribe:	Lepisosteini
Genus:	†Oniichthys Cavin & Brito, 2001
Species:	†O. falipoui
Binomial name
†Oniichthys falipoui Cavin & Brito, 2001
Synonyms
Atractosteus falipoui (Cavin & Brito, 2001)

It is known from a few very well-preserved, near-complete specimens from the Kem Kem Formation, where it coexisted with the famous Spinosaurus.^[2] It closely resembles the modern genus Atractosteus, and is generally placed as its sister genus, a sister to Atractosteus and Lepisosteus, or even as a species within Atractosteus as per Grande (2010),^[3] although this latter view has been disputed based on differences in skull morphology.^[4][5]

The genus name references the Ooni, divine Yoruba kings, while the specific epithet honors Christian Falipou, who loaned one of the type specimens.^[1]