Thoracopteridae

Thoracopteridae Temporal range:
Thoracopterus magnificus fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Subclass:	incertae sedis
Order:	Peltopleuriformes Griffith 1977 sensu Xu et al. 2012
Family:	Thoracopteridae
Genera
Genus †Pterygopterus Genus †Urocomus Genus †Wushaichthys Genus †Thoracopterus Genus †Gigantopterus Genus †Potanichthys

Thoracopteridae is an extinct family of prehistoric bony fish; classified with the order Peltopleuriformes. This lineage of Triassic flying fish-like Perleidiformes converted their pectoral and pelvic fins into broad wings very similar to those of their modern counterparts. However, this group is not related to modern flying fish from the family Exocoetidae, instead being a case of convergent evolution.

Classification

• Family †Thoracopteridae Griffith 1977 sensu Xu et al. 2012
  • Genus †Gigantopterus Abel 1906
    • †Gigantopterus telleri Abel 1906
  • Genus †Potanichthys Xu et al. 2012
    • †Potanichthys xingyiensis Xu et al. 2012
  • Genus †Pterygopterus Kner 1867 non Butler 1876
    • †Pterygopterus apus Kner 1867 non Butler 1876
  • Genus †Urocomus Costa 1862
    • †Urocomus picenus Costa 1862
  • Genus †Wushaichthys Xu et al. 2015
    • †Wushaichthys exquisitus Xu et al. 2015
  • Genus †Thoracopterus Bronn 1858
    • †T. magnificus Tintori & Sassi 1987
    • †T. martinisi Tintori & Sassi 1992
    • †T. niederristi Bronn 1858
    • †T. wushaensis

Bibliography

• Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Retrieved 2011-05-17.