Amblypterus (from , 'blunt' and 'wing' or 'fin') is an extinct genus of freshwater ray-finned fish that lived during the Gzhelian (upper Carboniferous) and Cisuralian (lower Permian) epoch in what is now Europe (France & Germany) and possibly India, the United States and Argentina. Potential indeterminate records stretch as far back as the early Carboniferous.
Taxonomy This genus displays close similarities to Paramblypterus, to the extent that both may be synonymous, although presently they are considered distinct. The type specimen of A. latus is lost.
Species The following species are known:
A. arcuatus Egerton, 1850 - Early Permian (Sakmarian) of Germany (Goldlauterer Formation) A. baylei Sauvage, 1890 - - Early Permian (Asselian) of France (Muse Formation) A. beaumonti Egerton, 1850 - Asselian of France (Muse Formation) A. berthieri Sauvage, 1893 - Asselian of France (Assise de Millery Formation) A. bibractensis Sauvage, 1893 - Asselian of France (Assise de Millery Formation) A. decorus Egerton, 1850 - Late Carboniferous (Gzhelian) of France (Commentry Shales) A. kashmiriensis Woodward & Seward, 1905 - Early Permian (Artinskian) of Jammu & Kashmir, India (Mamal Formation) A. latus Agassiz, 1833 (type species) - Asselian of Germany (Meisenheim & Lebacher Schichten Formations) A. magnus Sauvage, 1890 - Asselian of France (Muse Formation) A. stewarti Romer, 1942 - Late Carboniferous (Kasimovian to Gzhelian) of West Virginia, US (Uniontown Limestone) A. symmetricus Woodward, 1905 - Artinskian of Jammu & Kashmir, India (Mamal Formation) A. traquairi Woodward, 1891 - Asselian of Germany (Meisenheim & Lebacher Schichten Formations)
Synonymy Amblypterus agassizi (Munster, 1835) → Gyrolepis agassizi Munster, 1835 Amblypterus blainvillei (Agassiz, 1833) → Aeduella blainvillei (Agassiz, 1833) [= Palaeoniscus blainvillei Agassiz, 1833, Palaeothrissum inaequilobum Blainville, 1818] Amblypterus eurypterygius Agassiz, 1833 → Rhabdolepis macroptera (Bronn, 1829) Amblypterus duvernoyi Agassiz, 1833 → Paramblypterus duvernoyi (Agassiz, 1833) Amblypterus lateralis Agassiz, 1833 → Amblypterus latus Agassiz, 1833 Amblypterus orientalis Eichwald, 1860 → ?Tetragonolepis murchisoni von Waldheim, 1842 Amblypterus ornatus Emmons, 1857 (=A. carolinae Hay, 1902) → ?Turseodus sp. Amblypterus macropterus (Bronn, 1829) → Rhabdolepis macroptera (Bronn, 1829)
See also
Prehistoric fish List of prehistoric bony fish
References
Further reading Evolution: The Grand Experiment by Carl Werner and Debbie Werner Fishes of the World by Joseph S. Nelson A Pictorial Guide to Fossils by Gerard Ramon Case