Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
319 / Cenozoic
Diplomystus
Diplomystus dentatus
Schools of herring-like fish were sealed into fine lake sediments.
View original image · 1536 × 1024- Time range
- About 52 million years ago
- Final stage
- Early Eocene
- Geographic range
- Freshwater lakes · Green River Formation, USA
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Diplomystus?
Diplomystus (Diplomystus dentatus) was an extinct organism known from About 52 million years ago, with a range in Freshwater lakes · Green River Formation, USA.
Life and ecology
Diplomystus swam in warm lakes and used an upturned mouth to take fish and invertebrates.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Diplomystus disappear?
Long-term changes in lake level, salinity and connectivity probably affected local populations; this does not establish why the species disappeared.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Diplomystus?
Complete impressions preserve fins, scales, stomach contents and mass-death layers.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS