Sphenocephalus

Sphenocephalus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Genus:	Sphenocephalus
Species:	S. fissicaudus

Sphenocephalus is an extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived during the Cretaceous period. Fossils have been found in England and Italy.

Sphenocephalus was about 20 centimetres (8 in) long, with a rather large head, and may have resembled a modern black bass in appearance. It was one of the earliest fish to have the pelvic fins placed beneath th pectoral fins, a common feature in modern fish that improves swimming manoeuvrability. Like the modern trout-perches, it possessed a mixture of modern and primitive features, and it was probably one of the earliest perciform fish.^[1]

References

1. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 41. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.