Anaethalion is an extinct genus of prehistoric marine and freshwater
ray-finned fish related to modern
tarpons and
ladyfish. It is known from the
Late Jurassic to the
Early Cretaceous of Europe and northeasterrn Asia (Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Russia), roughly encompassing the
Tethys Ocean.[1][2]
It is the earliest known member of the
Elopiformes and the
Elopomorpha in general.[3] The earliest known species are marine, but later species are found in freshwater habitats.
A. zapporum Arratia, 2000 (Kimmeridgian of Germany)
An undescribed species is known from the
Albian of Italy. The genus Aethalionopsis was previously considered synonymous with Anaethalion, but is now known to be a fossil relative of the
milkfish. Some authorities place some of its species (A. valdensis and the undescribed Italian species) with Aethalionopsis instead.[1][4][5]
Arratia, GF, "Anaethalion and similar teleosts (Actinopterygii, Pisces) from the Late Jurassic (Tithonian) of southern Germany and their relationships", Palaeontographica Abteilung A Palaeozoologie-Stratigraphie, vol. 200, issue 1–3, pp. 1–44. ISSN 0375-0442.
Poyato-Ariza, Francisco José, "The elopiform fish Anaethalion angustus restored, with comments on individual variation", Mesozoic Fishes 2 – Systematics and Fossil Record, G. Arratia & H.-P. Schultze (eds.): pp. 361–36.
ISBN3-931516-48-2.