Description: This is as yet the most primitive of members of the Amiidiae, known today by the extant Amia calva, with the common names bowfin and dogfish. Another notable member of the family are Cyclurus from the much younger Messel Fauna (see my other listings). The primitive nature of its vertebral column, and simple birfurcated rays places it at the base of the amiid family tree, and pushes the age of the family back by some 70 million years.

Reference: Acta Paleontolgica Sinica, 41 (3), July 2002, pp 461-463.