Iniopterygiformes (Originally spelled Iniopterygia and sometimes informally abbreviated as "iniops") is an extinct order of cartilaginous fish known only from the Carboniferous period of the United States. Iniopterygians are characterized by large, superficially wing-like pectoral fins positioned upwards behind the head, from which the name of the group (translated as "nape fin") is derived. Iniopterygians are also noted to possess proportionally large skulls and eyes, armor plates composed of dentin, and "tooth-whorls" of fused teeth. Their elongated pectoral fins bore large, denticle-covered spines, and they are thought to have used them to swim using a "flying" motion. The iniopterygians were comparatively small chondrichthyans, with the largest species reaching only in length.
The group is regarded as a relative of modern chimaeras, and is placed in the subclass Holocephali. Two families of iniopterygians are recognized; the Sibyrhynchidae and the Iniopterygidae, with the former containing the genera Sibyrhynchus, Iniopera, and Inioxyele and the latter housing all other named genera. The classification of the iniopterygians, both with each other and with other groups of holocephalan, has been considered problematic.
Genera Family Iniopterygidae: Iniopteryx Iniopteryx rushlaui Zangerl & Case, 1973 Iniopteryx tedwhitei Zangerl & Case, 1973 Promexyele Promexyele peyeri Zangerl & Case, 1973 Promexyele bairdi Zangerl & Case, 1973 Cervifurca Cervifurca nasuta Zangerl, 1981 Rainerichthys Rainerichthys zangerli Grogan & Lund, 2009 Papilionichthys Papilionichthys stahlae Grogan & Lund, 2009
Family Sibyrhynchidae: Sibyrhynchus Sibyrhynchus denisoni Zangerl & Case, 1973 Iniopera Iniopera richardsoni Zangerl & Case, 1973 Inioxyele Inioxyele whitei Zangerl & Case, 1973
References
Further reading Richard Lund and Eileen D. Grogan: Relationships of the Chimaeriformes and the Basal Radiation of the Chondrichthyes, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 7: 65-123. 1997
External links AMNH article Scientists snare 3-D image of oldest fossil brain