Lehmanamia sheppeyensis
Lehmanamia sheppeyensis
Summary
Lehmanamia sheppeyensis is a poorly known amiiform-grade fish from the London Clay. It is based on limited cranial material, including a single important specimen, and its exact position among bowfin relatives remains uncertain. The available anatomy indicates a robust predatory fish, but the absence of a well-documented complete skeleton means that body shape and ecology cannot be reconstructed with confidence.
Living bowfin and many fossil amiiforms are opportunistic predators of fishes and invertebrates, so a carnivorous role is plausible, but this remains an inference from broader relationships. The species is best regarded as evidence for continued amiiform diversity in the early Eocene rather than as a fully understood ecological type.
Quick Identification
Look for: a robust amiiform-grade skull with heavy dermal roofing bones, a broad cheek region and a strongly ossified jaw apparatus; the known material is cranial and comparatively massive rather than delicate or otolith-based.
Diagnostic Features
- Dermal skull roof is thick and strongly ossified.
- Cranium is broad through the cheek and posterior orbital region.
- Jaw bones are robust with a deep mandibular profile.
- Opercular region is large and plate-like where preserved.
- External skull-bone surfaces carry low irregular sculpture rather than fine parallel striation.
Fossil Details
Recorded Fossil Sites
No fossil-site occurrences have yet been recorded for this species.
References
- Casier, E. (1966). Faune ichthyologique du London Clay. 496 pp.. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History), London View reference
- Friedman, M.; Beckett, H. T.; Close, R. A.; Johanson, Z. (2016). The English Chalk and London Clay: two remarkable British bony fish Lagerstätten. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 430(1), 165–200. Geological Society of London, London View reference