Palaeogadus serratus

Palaeogadus serratus

Stinton, 1966

Common name Cod relative
Fossil group Bony Fish
Order Gadiformes
Family Gadidae
Genus Palaeogadus
Taxonomic status Accepted
Geological age Ypresian

Summary

Palaeogadus serratus was an early cod relative known from sagittal otoliths. Gadiform fishes are predominantly carnivorous and many occupy demersal shelf or deeper-water habitats, taking crustaceans, small fishes and other benthic or nektonic prey. A similar general lifestyle is reasonable for this Eocene species, although its body and jaws are not known from the London Clay record.

The otolith is particularly informative because gadiform lineages have distinctive ear-stone morphology. P. serratus combines a pointed anterior end with a narrow short ostium and much longer cauda, documenting early differentiation of cod-like inner-ear anatomy.

Quick Identification

Look for: a gadiform otolith with a pointed anterior tip, no strong postdorsal corner and a long narrow sulcus in which the ostium is distinctly shorter than the cauda; the posterior end is blunter than the front.

Diagnostic Features

  • Anterior end of the otolith is distinctly pointed.
  • Posterior end is more rounded and less acute than the anterior end.
  • Ostium is narrow and markedly shorter than the cauda.
  • Cauda forms the dominant long posterior part of the sulcus.
  • Dorsal outline lacks a pronounced postdorsal angle or projecting corner.

Fossil Details

Preservation
London Clay otoliths may be chipped, rounded, dissolved or polished. Damage to the rostrum and antirostrum changes the outline, while abrasion of the inner face can weaken or erase the sulcus; either can make a species-level identification unsafe.

Recorded Fossil Sites

References

  • Steurbaut, E.; Nolf, D. (1988). Ypresian teleost otoliths from Belgium and northwestern France. Bulletin de la Société belge de Géologie, 97(3–4), 321–347 View reference
  • Stinton, F. C. (1966). Fish otoliths from the London Clay. Faune ichthyologique du London Clay, 404–464. British Museum (Natural History), London View reference
Last Reviewed
15 August 2026 Reviewed by Sam Harris