Apateodus (meaning "confusing tooth") is a genus of prehistoric marine
ray-finned fish which was described by
Woodward in 1901. It was a relative of modern
lizardfish and
lancetfish in the order
Aulopiformes, and one of a number of prominent nektonic aulopiforms of
Cretaceous marine ecosystems.[1][2]
The genus spans from the
Albian to the late
Maastrichtian, and appears to have been distributed worldwide; specimens have been found in Russia, India, the United States (Colorado, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas), Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.[1]
Taxonomy
Apateodus has generally been placed in the suborder
Enchodontoidei alongside most other Cretaceous nektonic aulopiforms, although its affinities have long been uncertain. However, since the 2000s, it has generally been placed in the family
Ichthyotringidae.[3][4] However, some authors have still placed it as an indeterminate enchodontoid, ichthyotringoid, alepisauroid, or even elsewhere in the Aulopiformes as the sister to the
barracudinas, the latter two of which have been contradicted by anatomical studies.[3][5][6][7]
†A. striatus Woodward, 1901 - Cenomanian of the United Kingdom, Cenomanian-Turonian of Germany,[10] Maastrichtian of India
Indeterminate remains are known from Canada (
Alberta), Russia (
Belgorod), and the United States (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota).[1] A potential undescribed genus closely allied to Apateodus was identified in 2020 from fossils from Kansas.[11]
Description
Known by well preserved skull remains, Apateodus is estimated to be around 1 meter (3.3ft) in length, and would have been an effective
mesopredator.[2]