Thoracopterus Bronn (Osteichthyes: Actinopterygii): A gliding fish from the Upper Triassic of Europe

ABSTRACT

The Late Triassic gliding fishes of the genus Thoracopterus (Actinopterygii, Peltopleuriformes) are reviewed, and Thoracopterus martinisi, sp. nov. is described. We consider the family Thoracopteridae a valid taxon, but place it closer to Peltopleurus, rather than to Perleidus or Luganoia, especially on the basis of the pattern of skull roofing bones, shape of the preopercular, scale similarities, and caudal fin structure. Morphological characters of three species of Thoracopterus, such as length of paired fins, proportion of caudal fin lobes, and position of dorsal and anal fins, are compared with corresponding characters in extant monoplane and biplane gliding fishes. On the basis of this comparison, Thoracopterus is viewed as a biplane gliding fish, so far the only one known outside the extant “flying fishes” of the family Exocoetidae.