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Archaephippus asper, spade fish with eggs

A fine complete female Spade Fish showing excellent detail including the body cavity filled with fossilised eggs. The white circle on the image at right shows the region of the eggs. They are small round bumps

Archaephippus asper is an extinct spade fish belonging to the perciforms. They lived in the lower - middle Eocene (about 49 - 50 million years ago) and his fossil remains were found in Italy, in the famous Bolca field.

This fish was very similar to the current genera Ephippus and Platax, of the Ephippidae family. Like current genres, Archaephippus also had a discoidal body, flattened laterally and very high. Archaephippus could reach considerable dimensions, and specimens over 40 centimeters long are known. The head was high, with large eyes and a short mouth. The dorsal fin was divided into an anterior part supported by numerous high and strong spines, and in an posterior part even higher and decreasing towards the caudal fin, supported by thin and weak rays. The anal fin was very similar to the posterior part of the dorsal fin, and was almost opposite. The pectoral fins were narrow and pointed, while the pelvic fins were long and pointed. The caudal fin was truncated, not divided into lobes.