Pycnodus toliapicus
Pycnodus toliapicus
View age-specific evidence and explanation
There are no currently eligible, unambiguously age-indexed published Occurrences for this Species. This does not indicate absence or rarity.
These counts describe published LBPS Occurrence records with directly assigned, unambiguous geological-unit mappings—not specimen abundance. Records at restricted Localities and ambiguous or unsupported ages are excluded. Species-level age labels are not used as proof of an age-specific Occurrence.
Specimen-based rarity requires comparable, correctly identified physical fossils, geological provenance and publication permissions. It does not estimate your chance of finding a fossil or collecting access.
Quick Identification
Look for: a thick pycnodont tooth plate with several rows of flattened oval crushing teeth, the central series much larger than the outer rows; the second major row is only about half the size of the largest teeth and marginal crowns may show surface pitting.
Summary
Pycnodus toliapicus was another pycnodont specialised for crushing resistant prey on or near the seabed. Its splenial tooth plates carry multiple rows of rounded and elongate teeth, forming a broad dental mill rather than a conventional line of pointed jaw teeth. The structure is strong evidence for a diet including hard-shelled invertebrates, though the exact prey species are unknown.
The species demonstrates that durophagous pycnodonts remained part of marine fish communities into the early Eocene. London Clay specimens are primarily dental plates, so the feeding system is much better known than the overall body shape.
Diagnostic Features
- Tooth plate contains multiple parallel rows of rounded to elongate crushing teeth.
- Largest central teeth have broad, nearly flat occlusal surfaces with rounded margins.
- Second principal tooth row has teeth about half the size of the largest series.
- Marginal teeth are smaller, rounder and may show distinct surface pitting.
- Teeth are closely packed on a thick splenial plate built to resist compressive loading.
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