Pachycormus (fish)

Pachycormus is an extinct genus of pachycormiform ray-finned fish from the Toarcian of Europe. The type species P. macropterus was first named as a species of Elops by Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville in 1818, it was placed into a new genus by Louis Agassiz in 1833. Fossils have been found in France, Germany and England. Pachycormus has recently been considered monotypic, only containing P. macropterus, with other species considered junior synonyms of the former,[1] though this has subsequently been questioned.[2] Pachycormus has generally been considered basal among Pachycormiformes, with a recent phylogeny finding it to be the second most basal pachycormiform after Euthynotus.[1] It was up to 1 m (3.5 ft) in length.[1] Its ecology has been interpreted as that of a generalist predator.[2]

3-dimensionally preseved head and forefin of Pachycormus from the Strawberry Bank Lagerstatte, part of the Beacon Limestone Formation in Somerset, UK

Pachycormus Temporal range: Toarcian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	†Pachycormiformes
Family:	†Pachycormidae
Genus:	†Pachycormus Agassiz, 1833
Type species
Pachycormus macropterus (de Blainville 1818)

Pachycormus esocinus fossil