Acrolepis gigas ( FRIČ , 1877)

Štamberg, Stanislav, 2013, Knowledge Of The Carboniferous And Permian Actinopterygian Fishes Of The Bohemian Massif - 100 Years After Antonín Frič, Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae Series B 69 (3 - 4), pp. 159-182 : 165

Acrolepis gigas ( FRIČ, 1877)

Text-fig. 2 , fig. 1

1877 1891 1895 1989

1991

2008 Amblypterus gigas FR. ; Frič, p. 50.

Elonichthys (?) gigas (FRIČ) ; Woodward, p. 494.

Acrolepis gigas, FR. ; Fritsch, p. 117; pls. 129–130.

Acrolepis gigas ( FRIČ, 1877) ; Štamberg, p. 263; figs 2, 6; pl. 1.

Acrolepis gigas ( FRIČ, 1877) ; Štamberg, p. 65; figs 28–30; pls. 12–15.

Acrolepis gigas ( FRIČ, 1877) ; Štamberg and Zajíc, p. 149; fig. 219.

L e c t o t y p e ( Štamberg 1991): Specimen figured by Fritsch (1895, pls. 129, 130, fig. 1) deposited at the National Museum, Prague under no. M 125.

L o c u s t y p i c u s: Žilov, district Plzeň – North, Czech Republic.

S t r a t u m t y p i c u m: Mšec Member, Stephanian B, Upper Carboniferous , Plzeň Basin .

O c c u r r e n c e: Beside a complete specimen from Žilov, only isolated scales from the Late Carboniferous of the Central and West Bohemian late Paleozoic basins and Mnichovo Hradiště Basin are known. ( Štamberg and Zajíc 2008).

D i a g n o s i s ( Štamberg 1991, emended): Large fish, reaching 1250 mm. Base of the dorsal fin opposite to the base of pelvic fin. Caudal peduncle long. 30 branchiostegal rays considerably overlapping one another. Height of the suboperculum half the height of the operculum. Preoperculum obliqueness angle is 25°, operculum obliqueness angle 30°. Scales with sculpture formed by diagonally arranged ridges. Scales overlap one another, posterior margin is not denticulated. The scale count is

55 95? 32 60 87

R e m a r k s: Three species of the genus Acrolepis were initially described by Fritsch (1895) from the Late Carboniferous of the Central and West Bohemian late Paleozoic basins: A. gigas , A. krejcii and A. sphaerosideritarum . After revision of these three species, it is evident that only A. gigas belongs to the genus Acrolepis , whereas the other two are classified tentatively as “ Elonichthys ” krejcii to the genus “ Elonichthys ”, in the family Elonichthyidae in the sense of Schindler ( Poschmann and Schindler 2004). Finally, study of additional material showed that “ Elonichthys ” sphaerosideritarum is a synonym of “ Elonichthys ” krejcii ( Štamberg 2010) . The biggest actinopterygians from the Carboniferous and Permian belong in Acrolepis gigas . In a matter of related interest, in the year 2000 Acrolepis gigas became the symbol of the emblem and flag of the village Žilov.

Figures

Text-fig. 2. Reconstruction of some Westphalian and Stephanian actinopterygians. Figs 1 – 5 after Štamberg (1991), Fig. 6 after Westoll (1944). Scale bars represent 20 mm. 1 – Acrolepis gigas (FRIČ, 1877), 2 – “Elonichthys” krejcii (FRITSCH, 1895), figured after the original holotype of Acrolepis sphaerosideritarum FRITSCH, 1895, 3 – “Elonichthys” krejcii (FRITSCH, 1895), figured after the original holotype of Acrolepis krejcii FRITSCH, 1895, 4 – Sphaerolepis kounoviensis FRIČ, 1877, 5 – Sceletophorus biserialis FRITSCH, 1894, 6 – Pyritocephalus sculptus (FRIČ, 1875).