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Cervifurca: the most remora-like of the odd Pennsylvanian iniopterygians

Monday, November 22, 2021 13:41

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Cervifurca nasuta
(Zangerl 1997; Pennsylvanian; FMNH PF13228; Figs. 1, 2) was described by a partial, slightly disarticulated skeleton lacking a (probably short) anterior rostrum.

Figure 3. A remora attached to a much larger shark with an adhesion disc atop its head. Gone are the 6 to 9 dorsal spines. Note the position of the pectoral fins helping to wrap around the host’s larger body. The point is: remoras can attach themselves either way. The caudal fin is not used while hitching a ride.

Ecologically
Cervifurca was the most remora-like (Fig. 3) of all iniopterygians, using the tiny hooks of its huge pectoral fins to hold on to larger, faster, wider ranging hosts, rightside-up or upside-down.

Here
in the large reptile tree (LRT, 2003+ taxa) Cervifurca nests with Helodus within the ratfish clade.

Figure 4. Rainer ichthys from Grogan and Lund 2009. Colors added here.

A second iniopterygian,
Rainerichthys with a narrower skull featuring an intercranial joint (convergent with rhipidistians), was also added to the LRT.

References
Grogan ED and Lund R 2009. Two new iniopterygians (Chondrichthyes) from the
Mississippian (Serpukhovian) Bear Gulch Limestone of Montana with evidence of a new form of chondrichthyan neurocranium. Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 90 (Suppl. 1): 134–151.
Zangerl R 1997. Cervifurca nasuta n. gen. et sp. : an interesting member of the Iniopterygidae (Subterbranchialia, Chondrichthyes) from the Pennsylvanian of Indiana, USA. Fieldiana, Geoloy new ser. no 35. Pub 1483. 24pp. PDF

wiki/Cervifurca – not yet posted
wiki/Rainerichthys– not yet posted

Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2021/11/23/cervifurca-the-most-remora-like-of-the-odd-pennsylvanian-iniopterygians/

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