Megalampris

Megalampris; Temporal range: Late Oligocene[1]
	M. keyesi and Waipatia maerewhenua
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Lampriformes
Family:	Lampridae
Genus:	†Megalampris
Species:	†M. keyesi
Binomial name
	†Megalampris keyesi; Gottfried, Fordyce & Rust, 2006

Megalampris keyesi is an extinct opah from the late Oligocene of New Zealand about 26 million years ago. It was recovered from the Otekaike Limestone in North Otago, by a team from the University of Otago. Its spectacular remains, mostly caudal skeleton, are on display in the Otago Museum, Dunedin, New Zealand. Comparison with the skeletons of living Lampris species suggest it was around 4 m in length when alive, which is twice the length of the largest living opah species, Lampris guttatus.

References

Gottfried, Michael D.; Fordyce, R. Ewan; Rust, Seabourne (2006). "Megalampris keyesi, a Giant Moonfish (Teleostei, Lampridiformes) from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 6 (3): 544–551. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[544:MKAGMT]2.0.CO;2.

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[1] Gottfried, Michael D.; Fordyce, R. Ewan; Rust, Seabourne (2006). "Megalampris keyesi, a Giant Moonfish (Teleostei, Lampridiformes) from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 6 (3): 544–551. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[544:MKAGMT]2.0.CO;2.