The Fossil Fish Lepidotes in the Paluxy Formation, North-Central Texas

Study and reconstruction of disarticulated bones of a fish recovered from the Paluxy Formation of the Trinity Group (Albian) in Wise County reveal that the characters shown in the dermal elements of the skull, dentition and squamation agree with typical characteristics of the semionotid fish genus Lepidotes. Because of the incomplete nature of the specimen it is referred to Lepidotes sp. Superficially it bears a closer resemblance to L. mantelli Agassiz of Lower Cretaceous strata than to any other species but it also has a surprising number of characters in common with Upper Jurassic species. The nature of its dentition suggests that it fed on mollusks in a freshwater environment.